Contemporary Women’s Cricket
Cricket is a team game played by a team of 11 members each with a bat and a ball. The dimensions of a cricket field are not constant but the diameter usually varies between 137 meters and 150 meters for men and 110 meters to 130 meters for women. Not having a fixed dimension is unique to cricket because all the other major sports have demarcated criteria for the play area.
The pitch for each category measures 22 yards and at either end of it, three stumps are fitted into the ground. International Cricket Council (ICC) is the international governing body in cricket. Cricket was famously known as the gentlemen’s game for a long time, but women’s cricket has been making great fortunes off late as well.
Tracing down the trajectory of women’s cricket is a rather tough task because many events remain undocumented. However, the first ever recorded women’s cricket match was played in 1745. The 1777 women’s match played by the Countess of Derby with other ladies of ‘Quality and Fashion’ was a rather historic one. In 1895, a women’s league was formed in Australia for the first time. The first half of the twentieth century witnessed the formation of various national women’s cricket associations. In 1935 Myrtle Maclagan scored the first ever century by a woman. Despite such a long history, the International Women’s Cricket Council was only formed in 1958. In 1973 the first world cup was held. Australian women have been dominating the world cups ever since.
These facts are evidence of the trajectory and history women’s cricket has traveled through. Despite a wonderful history, cricket played by women got an amicable recognition and support only in 2005. It was the year when the ICC Women’s Committee took over the responsibility of international cricket for women. Even since then there has been no turning back.
- The Formats
In contemporary times, women are engaged in playing cricket at local, national, and international levels. They play cricket in all three formats as men do. Test cricket is the longest format. The match comprises four innings spread over four days. It is governed by the same rules as men’s test cricket. Only the field size and some technicalities are different. Women also play one-day internationals. Each team gets to play a maximum of 50 overs. The earliest ODI played by women was the 1973 World Cup held in England. The ODI status of different teams is determined by ICC which included 5 more nations in the group in May 2022. ICC determines 18 women’s cricket teams with ODI status. T20 is the shortest format where each side gets to play an inning of 20 overs each. It is the most famous format. ICC organizes a biennial international tournament called the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup for women.
- International Tournaments
Women get to play a significant number of cricket matches around the year due to the number of tournaments held. Though the number cannot match the magnitude of matches men play, significant growth has been recorded. The oldest international tournament concerning women is ICC Women’s World Cup. It is played in ODI as well as T-20 format. The ODI World Cup is held every four years while the T-20 one is held every two years. Test championship for women is also organized by ICC.
Cricket is identified as a sport by the International Olympic Committee. However, due to the large amount of expenditure it involves, it is not currently playing in the Olympics. The sport was also played in the Commonwealth Games. In 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games men’s one-day tournament was held. However, it was abandoned later. Hence, the inclusion of only women’s T-20 cricket in the 2022 Commonwealth games calls for a celebration.
- National Events
Not many national-level events are conducted for women’s cricket. BCCI, India’s cricketing organization, has been taking some steps toward gender equality. The women’s T-20 challenge was a replica of the Indian Premier League for women. Its numerous editions have been held from 2018 to 2022. In 2023, the Women’s Premier League will be replacing it. The T-20 challenge was played between three teams in a round-robin format. Harmanpreet Kaur has been the frontrunner for most runs while Radha Yadav has the most number of wickets in the tournament. Another tournament played by women cricketers in India is the Senior Women’s T20 Challengers Trophy. However, this tournament is not too popular.
Australia’s Big Bash League also inaugurated its women’s edition in the year 2015. It replaced the Australian Women’s Twenty20 Cup. WBBL is played by eight city-based franchises with names identical to the Men’s Big Bash League. England and Wales conducted a semi-professional tournament called the Women’s Cricket Super League. It was launched in 2016. The Hundred is the professional domestic cricket in which women were welcomed in 2021. West Indies hosted The 6ixty for the first time in 2022.
- Famous Cricketers
There has been a whole list of great female cricketers who have made their name over time. However, two contemporary ladies who have been doing some serious business in the field are Mithali Raj and Ellyse Perry. MithaliRaj was the former captain of India’s women’s cricket team. She is a living legend in women’s cricket. Mithali is the highest run-getter in women’s international cricket. Ellyse Perry on the other hand is an Australian sportswoman. She has represented her country in both FIFA and Cricket World Cups. Since 2014, she has only been playing cricket and making her name in the game.
Conclusion
The Cricket industry has been breaking the shackles of stereotypes and patriarchy by promoting women in the sport. ICC cricket matches are proof that women are more than welcome on the field. National cricketing boards have also been replicating the steps taken by ICC in their respective countries. It is hence, safe to say that women seem to have a brighter future in cricket. Promoting women in sports is a recipe for societal change and the betterment of the lives of women. Hence, we can be happy that there’s hope for a society where men will not dominate.
