In terms of both quality and women’s cricket as a brand, there has been growth. Gradually rising audiences generate more revenue, which elevates the caliber of sport and its presentation. The time when people would participate for fun as amateurs has long since passed. Currently, and rightly so, women play professional cricket. That said, it wasn’t always like this. Women’s cricket previously had difficulty attracting fans and sponsors. Teams have withdrawn from World Cups due to money issues in some instances.
Beginning
Even though the first women’s cricket game was played in the 18th century, the Women’s Cricket Association was founded in England in 1924. When England visited Australia in 1934–35, the first international matches were played. Ten years later, New Zealand and Australia established their associations, and this global reach paved the way for the first international games. Two of the three games were victories for England. Due to the expansion of international cricket, the International Women Cricket match Council was established in 1958. There were eventually five people involved, but the total kept rising. The first women’s cricket organization in India was established in 1973, at which point India joined.
World Cup
Like the first Women’s World Cup, which was held in 1973 (and the first Men’s World Cup, which was held in 1975), the Women’s section began its World Cup before the Men’s. But because of these irregularities, the Men’s World Cup had advanced by the time the fourth Women’s World Cup was contested in 1988. Nevertheless, there have been 12 editions of the Women’s World Cup, with three distinct champions, and it has been a success, particularly in recent years. 2009 saw the inaugural Men’s and Women’s T20 World Cups take place concurrently. Women’s matches were played before men’s matches in the semi finals and championships. It was thought that doing this would increase media attention and viewership size. This was not the case for very long, as the 2018 Women’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies was conducted separately from the men’s World Cup, ending the excessive reliance on the men’s matches to attract viewers and media attention
World Cup 2022
The most recent Women’s World Cup, which ended on April 3, 2022, was the Women’s 50-over World Cup. The World Cup, which took place in New Zealand for the 12th time, was a major sporting event. For a record-tying seventh time, Australia won the World Cup by defeating England in the championship match. Due to the pandemic, the competition was delayed by one year from its original February–March 2021 date. The tournament had the same number of teams that it had in its prior iteration: eight. Each team played all the other teams once during the League format matches, and the best four teams at the conclusion advanced to the semifinals.
Due in large part to the combined efforts of the BCCI and ICC, women’s cricket has undergone a significant change. The IPL’s exhibition matches for women’s cricket that was combined into doubleheaders set the groundwork for the future. Global media attention was drawn to the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) covert organization of the U19 and T20 World Cups in South Africa. The Under 19 World Cup kicked off with all matches being broadcast and replay requests starting in the semi-final. As opposed to a few independent contractors, over 100 worldwide media registrations came after. The development of women’s cricket has been greatly influenced by the BCCI and the cricket ICC women . The basis for the development of the sport was set by the exhibition of matches of women’s cricket combined with IPL doubleheaders.
Auction and Inflammation
Auctions and prices have had a major impact on the development of women match. Players, their families, and fans all seem to be buzzing about the new leagues, auctioneers, and prize money that has been raised. In reality, a record-breaking 87 elite players were auctioned off for a staggering 60 crores, reviving some players’ careers in the process. To put things in context, let’s contrast the prize money for the Women’s Premier League in India in 2023 with that of the Women’s Big Bash League in Australia in 2022. $450,000, or about 3,68,84,475 Indian rupees, was awarded as reward money for the WBBL 2022. It’s interesting to note that the first women’s cricket competition ever took place in a low-key setting with Gingreale and a few drinks on a lazy afternoon in a sleepy village in England in 1745. Women’s cricket has developed significantly since that time. The future of women’s cricket appears promising with the fans’ continued support and the addition of new leagues and competitions.
Diminishing Disparities
The cricket “titans” for a very long time have been Australia and England. Recent data, however, indicate that the distance between the two teams is quickly closing. In reality, a single batting hit—a six—made the difference between a new winner and a six-time reigning champion. Ashleigh Gardner, a well-known Australian cricketer, responded to a question about this tendency by noting that franchise cricket and the volume of matches have made it possible for teams to share their best strategies with foreign players. As a consequence, detractors believe that the Australian wall will be broken sooner rather than later. It’s interesting to note that the Indian squad appears to be borrowing strategies
Wrapping Up
Recent years have seen impressive developments in women’s cricket, with the last three months alone seeing unheard-of improvements. A far cry from the previous three centuries since women’s cricket was first played in 1745, where record-breaking scores and large salaries were the exceptions.
