Year-ender 2023: Rise and rise of women's cricket; when Eves got pay parity and India clinched U19 World Cup

From travelling as faceless beings in unreserved train compartments to get to the venues of a rarified game schedule, to becoming superstars of the gentlemen’s game, playing before sold-out crowds at summit tournaments, getting pay parity and being recognised as a separate unit for cricket, women's cricket soar to new heights this year. A yearend report by Meenakshi Rao

Hyderabad: This was a ladies' special year in which the Indian eves won their first Asian Games Gold medal, the under-19 girls brought in the inaugural T20 Cup in that category, women cricketers got pay parity and a brand-new league to swim in money and game time.

The rise of Women's Cricket:

These are momentous milestones in the journey of women's cricket which has had a long and agonising legacy of relentless struggle, popular disdain, and neglect at the federation level as also globally. Almost every cricketer of the outgoing generation will tell you how they managed to come to the middle of the ground, travelling in third class, sitting next to smelly train bathrooms, and buying their own equipment by selling household goods, not to mention the constant bickering at home thanks to sports unfriendly parents.

Today, they have come a long way. They travel first class, they have state-of-the-art equipment, they have bench strength and proper infrastructure, and most importantly, they have myriad avenues for exposure with the cricket boards of their respective nations giving them a happening event calendar annually.

The rise of the Indian Women's Cricket team:

Between December 2, 2021, and February 2, 2023, India, for example, played 34 matches, including a Test series, the T20 World Cup and bilateral series with Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Australia, to name a few. This was when they were not starring in Australia's Big Bash league to make a name for themselves or the domestic league.

Much of the journey taken from the unsung corridors of women cricket to stardom, packed stadia and global fan bases took place this year. The year celebrates the 50th year of the Women’s World Cup whose inaugural edition was held in 1973 and was not even an ICC event, held under the auspices of England’s Women’s Cricket Association.

Ish Guha's take:

"We'll never forget where women’s cricket came from and the fact that it was a World Cup that was set up before the men’s World Cup. It takes one person to have an idea, but it takes a team to fulfil a dream. The visibility of women’s cricket has increased to beyond compare to what it was before. The recognition of women’s cricket and the perception of it has changed drastically in 50 years.

"Women’s cricket is on the rise. I was at the most recent T20 World Cup in South Africa and to have a full-house crowd, to have a full stadium at the semi-final and final, it gave me goosebumps to see that. We're seeing it around the world, we think back to the 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup final at the MCG, the 2017 Women’s World Cup final at Lord’s, there is recognition that women have drawing power, they can bring people to our sport and into the stadiums and create the kind of interest that would make people want to take up the sport," Former England player and current broadcaster, Isa Guha said.

In a sense, this year has been the crowning glory in the finances sector of the game too with the women's finally getting their fair share. Cricket once again finds itself in the unique position of making history, by becoming the first team sport to have prize money parity in its men's and women's World Cup events, after the announcement was made at the conclusion of the 2023 annual conference earlier this month.

History of Women's Cricket:

It is not the first time that women’s cricket finds itself in a position of doing things first. For years, women have pioneered the game, reaching game-changing milestones before their male counterparts, such as the first-ever T20 international being a women’s match between England and New Zealand at Hove in 2004.

Record-breaking, individual performances include Australia batter, Betty Wilson becoming the first player to score a Test century and take 10 wickets in a match, England’s Belinda Clark becoming the first international cricketer to score a century in an ODI in 1997, New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr was the first player in ODIs to score a double century and take five wickets in 2018, at the young age of 17 at the time, while in 2021, Ireland’s Amy Hunter became the youngest cricketer to score an ODI century on the occasion of her 16th birthday, beating out Mithali Raj’s record from 1999, to name a few.

Snehal Pradhan's reaction:

For Snehal Pradhan, ICC's Women’s Cricket manager, the leap in the eyeballs for women's cricket has been significant. "The game of today owes a great debt to the pioneers of the past. If our World Cups have reached prize money parity today, it is standing on a foundation laid by the Class of 1973. It's a fantastic coincidence to be able to announce parity exactly 50 years after women led the way by having the first World Cup. Both these events, one from the past and one in the present, have given cricket a special place among global sports and point to a bright future.

"I was lucky enough to be involved in the 2009 Women’s World Cup, the first one organised by the ICC and was amazed at what an uplift it was in terms of facilities, accommodation, and broadcast. For the players of today, that is the bare minimum, and the sky is the limit," she said.

The cherry on the cake is that Indian Women’s Cricket has leapfrogged to public imagination too, that too never as before. Today’s Harmanpreet Kaurs and Smriti Mandhanas are as known and feted as the male stars of cricket are. They are on the roll, making statements of excellence in away series and summit tournaments.

While Mandhana enjoys a cushy position at No 5 in world rankings for ODI batting and an elevated 3rd position in T20s, one should remember the name of Deepti Sharma as the No 4 in the world as T20 all-rounder, even though Team India ranks fourth in ODIs and third in T20s in the nations lists.

Jaya Sharma's memories:

It was in the 2005 World Cup in South Africa that Indian eves reached their first-ever Final and opener Jaya Sharma is unable to forget the experience. India finished runners-up to Australia despite the Women in Blue trying something new in the build-up to the tournament.

"That was something we all as a whole squad can't forget because that was the turning point in women's cricket in India. Most importantly, because there were not many resources, there was not the infrastructure that is present now. We had a bunch of 30 players, and we were preparing for this World Cup for two years. The focus was on fitness, which wasn’t always the case. We went up to a great level in terms of fitness and started performing well. The best thing that happened to that team is we clicked as a unit.

“When we beat New Zealand in the semi-finals, people started to take notice that something was happening because they were the defending champions. People started to realise that the Indian women's cricket team is doing something,” Sharma, who now works as a mind conditioning coach in sport, said.

India U-19 Become Champions:

Cut to 2023 and the Under-19 eves who brought in the silverware for the inaugural edition in the T20 format for this age group. India became the first-ever ICC Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup winners after a comprehensive, seven-wicket victory over England in Potchefstroom, South Africa. The pedestal list was impressive: Most runs and boundaries: Shweta Sherawat (297-50); Most sixes: Shefali Verma (7); Highest team total: India (219-3 against UAE).

Add to this ICC’s 100% Mentorship Programme during the 2023 T20 Under19 World Cup and the structured growth of women’s cricket will speak volumes – from physical and mental issues to specifics in women's issues, the programme aims to provide support the youngsters in their development during with learning opportunities around Health education, with a focus on menstruation and its effect on performance, media training and overall support during training sessions, team meetings, planning sessions until the conclusion of the group stage tournament matches.

Way to go! Finally, a fair share with more in the pipeline, hopefully.