The rise of women’s cricket
In recent years women’s cricket, and women’s sport in general, has witnessed a boom in popularity. All around the world, increasing numbers of women are either playing sports or closely follow sporting events. Today a total of ten women’s teams play international Test cricket compared with twelve for men. If you consider yourself an aficionado then go to Sportsadda and try your hand at fantasy cricket league. But how did this happen?
Women’s sporting revolution
To understand the rise of women’s cricket it’s first necessary to look at the rise of women’s sport in general. It used to be the case that women weren’t even allowed to compete in marathons. This was until 1967 when Kathrine Switzer made history by breaking the rules and competing in the prestigious Boston Marathon. Since then the number of women entering the pantheon of sporting icons has increased, and with it the interest in women’s sports from both sexes. A recent survey found that 84% of sports fans are interested in women’s sports, of which 51% are male, evidence of women’s sports broad appeal.
A number of factors have contributed to this increase in popularity. First of all, women have had an increasing role in society overall, with more women entering the workplace in key positions of power. As a result of this, there’s been an increase in media coverage which has come hand in hand with commercial backing and sponsorship deals, aiding in grassroots development in all sports including cricket.
The breakthrough for women’s cricket
Like their sisters in other sports, women cricketer’s have had their own breakthrough moments. As with the men’s game, the origins of women’s cricket can be traced back to regional matches played in England back in the 18th century. The first international women’s game took place between England and Australia in December 1934.
In 1958, the formidable Australian female cricketer Betty Wilson was the first player of either sex to record century and ten wickets in a Test match. In the same year, the International Women’s Cricket Council (IWCC) was formed to coordinate the game internationally and pave the way for the future of the women’s game. In 1973 the first Women’s Cricket World Cup took place in England and was widely regarded, with the final being played at cricketing mecca, Lords.
Through the efforts of the IWCC, in conjunction with societal change and women’s increasing fame across the sporting world, the women’s game steadily increased in popularity and prestige worldwide. However, financial constraints meant the game was always played at an amateur level. This was until 2014 when a collaboration with the men’s cricketing body earned women their first professional contracts.
Fast forward to 2017 when the Women’s World Cup was again played in England. Over 1.1 million people tuned in to watch in the final on TV in the UK alone, and 100million worldwide, as England took the title in front of a sellout crowd at Lords. Off the back of her performance, Anya Shrubsole became the first female cricketer to be nominated for the UK sports personality of the year.
Women win at T20
Part of the rising success of the women’s game can be attributed to the advent of T20 cricket. The format first appeared in 2003 where women would play before the men in tournaments. However, over time the women’s T20 cricket grew in popularity that it could stand apart from the men’s game. The Women’s T20 Cricket tournament that took place in March of this year was the most viewed women’s sporting tournament ever, with 1.1 billion video views and 5.4 billion viewing minutes in India alone.
