N Rowland Sports Writer

Interest in women’s sport is undeniably on the rise in England, partly down to the success of the Lionesses’ European Championships win and the increased popularity of the Women’s Super League. Cricket is no exception to this dramatic shift, however the sport still faces discrimination surrounding coverage and funding.  

Katya Witney of Wisden Cricket told me in interview that “I think it’s quite an exciting moment for women’s cricket, it’s obviously been on the up for quite a long time now in terms of the financial structures around it and the recognition that it’s getting”. Women have been playing cricket for centuries and the Women’s Cricket Association was founded in 1926 following increased popularity in the women’s game during the First World War. Finally, nearly fifty years after women played their first match at Lords, women cricketers are being given the respect they deserve. In 2009, 2,300 people watched the 50-over World Cup final between Australia and England however in 2020, the T20 World Cup final between Australia and India was watched by 86,174 people, a record for women’s cricket.

This increased respect is helped by the 2023 launch of the Women’s Premier League, the female equivalent of the Indian Premier League. The sums of money involved have meant that the cricketing fraternity have realized just how important this is for the game’s future.

Spinner Sophie Ecclestone was sold to UP Warriorz for £180,00 while Nat Sciver-Brunt was sold to Mumbai Indians for £320,000. These figures prompted Witney to say, “they’re talking about sums of money which have never even been thought of around women’s cricket before and that’s a really, really significant moment”.

The launch of the League was a truly seismic moment. After years of campaigning, those that have called for a women’s Indian Premier League equivalent have finally been listened to by the behemoth organization of the Board of Control of Cricket in India. Whether it will have the same impact as the IPL remains to be seen but it is long overdue and will give these players well-deserved worldwide exposure.

This rapid ascension of women’s cricket has been enabled by many factors but one of the biggest is funding and those in power wanting it to succeed. Witney opined that “when you set women’s cricket up to succeed, it will succeed because it’s a game for everyone and should be treated as such”.

For Witney, the question of ticket pricing is central to the access barrier to women’s sport: “it’s about actually allowing people to go to these matches because if you can only afford to go to one match a year, then you have to choose, don’t you? And if you can afford to go to more matches then you’re going to see women’s cricket, aren’t you?”

She cited the example of the Hundred whereby the prices are a lot cheaper. According to the Hundred’s official website, they are under £5 for 6-15 year-olds, and £10 for adults for all matches compared to three tickets for the England vs Australia women’s test match at Trent Bridge costing £70 in total.

These prices are also arguably unjustified given that a large amount of England women’s test matches have ended in draws due to the lack of a day 5. On this, Witney commented: “I’ve been saying for years that women’s test matches should be 5 days”. Thankfully, the Trent Bridge test will be five days.

Promotion and exposure are also key to the success of women’s cricket.  The impact of the double promotion of the men’s and women’s Ashes this summer will surely help. As Witney noted, “I hope it will allow people just to see that cricket is cricket, right? It doesn’t matter who’s playing it”. It will also help to ensure the continued growth of the women’s game by having such an esteemed side as Australia coming over and playing in a high-profile competition like the Ashes.

As well as this to look forward to in the summer, there is the Women’s T20 World happening currently in South Africa with England scheduled to play South Africa in a semi-final. England have already hit 200 and have not lost so far under their new coach, John Lewis. They are hoping to break Australia’s dominance.

Witney expressed surprise at the attention the T20 has received saying “I wasn’t necessarily expecting this World Cup to get a lot of attention because it’s almost a foregone conclusion that Australia will win and that it will be either India or England in a final, but it has actually got a lot of attention because the cricket has been exciting”.

This will help South African cricket and will help to reduce the gap between Australia, India and England and the rest of the world.

Progression off as well as on the pitch is just as important. Greater representation is needed at board level and in the upper echelons of the game. Katya Witney said “when you look at these power structures in cricket, they are predominantly male. When you look at the ICC and if you’re talking about national cricket boards, when you’re looking at all the structures around cricket media coaching staff, there’s not enough women in those places. It is improving but is not enough at the minute”.

Change at grass roots level is also key. Organisations like the Girls’ Cricket Club and initiatives like ‘Got Your Back’, an initiative to support women and girls to achieve their full potential in cricket, will encourage girls into a sport that has traditionally been male dominated.

Women’s cricket is looking healthy but more needs to be done at all levels to combat discrimination. Cricket is at a crossroads with the continued appetite for franchise leagues however the Women’s Premier League can be seen as nothing other than a positive for the women’s game.