We generally associate the word “Cricket” with men wherever we hear it. We frequently tend to overlook female athletes. But we fail to appreciate that because we are unaware of the game played by the sportswomen, without realizing what we are missing out on. Its past time that women’s cricket received the proper attention and justification. Today women’s cricket teams from different countries all over the world are reaching great heights. In this article, we will come to know all about the past and present scenarios of the women’s cricket teams.
Women Cricket Team
The first mention of women playing cricket dates back to the match held between Hambleton and the Surrey towns of Bramley on July 26, 1745, according to an article in The Reading Mercury.
To co-ordinate women’s cricket all over the world, the IWCC or the International Women’s Cricket Council was formed in the year 1958. The board aimed at promoting women’s cricket teams from different countries. Various matches were organized with the board’s assistance. Gradually, the ICC or the International Cricket Council, and IWCC merged to become a sole body for the development of the sport.
Women’s World Cup
The first Women’s World Cup was contested in England in 1973, when the hosts, England, defeated Australia in a lopsided final to claim the title. It’s noteworthy that this competition took place two years before the inaugural of the men’s World Cup.
The tournament had trouble making ends meet in the early years to sustain a regular four-year schedule. Many teams were unable to compete due to a lack of funds. The World Cup in 2005 marked the beginning of the tournament’s four-year cycle.
Five nations have organized the eleven World Cups that have been contested to date, including India and England three times each. The most popular team is Australia, which has won seven championships and only missed the championship game three times. The two other teams to win the competition are New Zealand (one title) and England (four titles), whereas India (twice) & the West Indies (once) have each made it to the finals.
The Journey
Once more, the women’s team keeps the record for scoring the most runs (455) while losing the most wickets (5). In 1997, the New Zealand women’s cricket side became the first to amass 400 or more scores in ODI innings. Nine years until it was accomplished in men’s cricket, they accomplished this feat against Pakistan in a game. In that contest, Captain Maia Lewis notched her first century. With a score of 412/3 versus Denmark in 1997, Australia retains the benchmark for the best score in World Cup competitions. In a completely different vein, Pakistan retains the lowest score—27 runs—against the formidable Australia in a similar trophy competition.
Lesser known Facts
Over the years, journalists have closely followed the progress of the Indian women’s cricket team. As a result, they have compiled a few intriguing facts about female players. The book contains a lot more information; order it right away! , but meanwhile, here are a few astounding facts that would need to be discussed much more than it already does:
- Punam Raut and Deepti Sharma are the first female cricketers to score a 300-run partnership in one-day internationals. Facing Ireland in the series in South Africa in the year 2017, they turned on a 320-run partnership.
- The youngest woman cricketer to hit a century in her ODI is Mithali Raj. In Milton Keynes in 1999, at the age of 16 years, she hit 114 runs without being against Ireland!
- Smriti Mandhana is a right-handed person by nature. Her father, who was fixated on the left-handed batsman, insisted that she change her handwriting and become left-handed. Kumar Sangakkara is Smriti’s beloved player in the world who is also a left-hander.
- Harmanpreet Kaur’s bat had to be taken to a lab for testing after she smashed a big six against the host in the 2009 World Cup in Australia. The authorities were skeptical of the tremendous amount of strength Kaur used to strike it, so she also had to go through a drug test.
Not only men but women are also doing great in cricket. The popularity of women’s cricket is also increasing day by day. The sport is inspiring lots of other girls to get into the sports and follow their passion.