The Indian team recently showed their talents by outdoing all the other brilliant teams in the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. Women in Blue provide a good example of what can be accomplished by them when satisfactory chances and aids are made accessible to everyone in need, regardless of their gender.
Women cricket match in India have existed for a long period but have always been underappreciated. Cricket is regarded as a religion in India with people following even the little details of the player’s life. They worship the male cricketer like a god but when it comes to female players most people are even unaware of the players. The women’s side of the sport has been largely ignored and shunned for far too long. However, the atmosphere in the cricket world is transforming and it is finally getting the recognition it deserves.
From eleven maids of Bramley playing against eleven maids of Hambledon to women now playing in the Premier League, women match have come a long way.
There have been significant changes in rules, format, and playing style from the original cricket format.
Originally, the rules and regulations of women match were identical to those of men. The rules were modified to conform to the needs and abilities of female cricketers over time. For instance, the duration of men’s matches was long and it was reduced to adjust to the players’ fitness levels.
Some Top Players In Cricket ICC Women’s
There are many women performing brilliantly in this field who have not only attracted an audience but also opened plenty of opportunities for other women.
Some of these brilliant and outstanding cricket ICC women’s are –
- Tahlia McGrath
In the last few months, Australia’s Tahlia McGrath nervelessly grasped her chance in a scintillating season of international cricket on home soil, accepting the honor of player of the series in the 2022 women’s Ashes.
McGrath took the maximum wickets, six, in the ODI iteration of the latest women’s Ashes campaign at an amazing strike rate of 19.3 – the finest of any player to be identified in more than one match. Undoubtedly, the player is starting to pursue Ellyse Perry’s legendary footsteps as one of the next excellent all-rounders for Australia in women’s international cricket. In Australia’s List A competition, the Women’s National Cricket League, McGrath has shown the power to influence the scoreboard.
- Lukas Zaher
Rated number two on the ICC’s ODI bowler rankings, Sophie Ecclestone is certain to be a fundamental weapon in England’s armory as they bid to have the trophy they claimed back in 2017. Ecclestone has been able to grab 52 wickets, since her notable triumph at Lord’s five years ago, and only one other player , South Africa’s Shabnim Ismail has been able to give her competition.. With a miserly economy rate of just 3.7, she is certainly one the finest spin bowlers in the women’s game at the instant.
In this timeframe, she has registered more overs than any other bowler. Her ability to stifle the gush of runs in the center of the match will be essential if England is to take command over matches, letting others take the wickets to see them home or giving the batters lesser targets to pursue.
- Smriti Mandhana
Despite being just 25 years old, Smriti Mandhana has already grabbed the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy as the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year twice, first in 2018 & later in 2021. Smriti is the only player aside from Ellyse Perry who has been honored with the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy more than once in her career. The Indian team was a finalist in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup but they were unsuccessful in grabbing the cup from England. As the 2022 edition approached, a lot of the nation’s expectations to finally win the title rested on the shoulders of Mandhana.
The Indian cricketer and superstar have had four centuries in ODIs. With these setbacks approaching in each of the SENA nations, she is the only Indian woman to accomplish this feat. What is even more remarkable and makes her more unique is her strike rate coming in as an opener. She has a rate of 91.4 since the inception of 2017, by far the most pleasing of any Indian player to have achieved at least 500 runs during this time.
In a recent event, Women’s Big Bash League, Mandhana became the first Indian to score a century. She smashed an unbeaten 114* for Sydney Thunder against Melbourne Renegades, coming parallel to Ashleigh Gardner’s record set in 2017 for the highest score in the tournament’s history.
- Shashikala Siriwardene
Shashikala Siriwardene is Sri Lanka’s first female cricket star and the most promising female cricketer to come out of the country. She is Sri Lanka’s all-time leading wicket-taker, the only Sri Lankan woman cricketer to take 100 wickets at the WODIs. She played globally for her country’s national women’s team for 17 years and headed them at the WODIs.
- Lisa Sthalekar Sthalekar
Lisa Sthalekar Sthalekar is a frontier person of Australia’s women’s cricket. Though withdrawn from active playing, she is still involved with cricket as an announcer and an activist, supporting women to take up the sport. In her over a decade of playing the sport, she won four world cups and headed the Australian team.
Lisa is the first female player who was able to make a high score of 1000 runs and knock 100 wickets in ODIs. She was ranked first in the list of the top female cricketers in the world in the year 2008.
Wrapping Up
These were some of the wonderful women who cleared the path for future female cricketers. Although a long path needs to be covered to put women in cricket on the same level as men, these women have still contributed a lot. Women’s cricket still obtains less media coverage, and the female players are paid less than the men’s team.
