Sharjah: The Women’s World Cup has made significant strides in recent years, and the upcoming Twenty20 Women’s World Cup, to be held in the UAE from October 3-20, is set to become a trendsetter in the future of team sports, says former Indian pacer Snehal Pradhan.
“The women’s game has just been growing in leaps and bounds over the last few years. Whether it was the 86,174 people packing the MCG in 2020 or a historic and first-ever sold-out at Newlands in the 2023 edition, we have seen the event get better and better. So there are high expectations that this tournament is going to just continue that trend and lift the women’s game further,” Pradhan, ICC Women’s Cricket Manager, told Gulf News after the Twenty20 Women’s World Cup got off to a glittering start at the Sharjah Stadium on Wednesday.
Historic milestone
“Even before the first ball has been bowled, the tournament has already made history by being the first women’s tournament where we have prize money parity across men’s and women’s ICC events — making cricket the first team sport to offer prize money parity globally. I think 20 years later we’re going to be talking about the 2024 World Cup the same way we talk about the 1973 US Open, which offered prize money parity at Grand Slams. Then every other slam and a lot of other sports followed. So I think this is going to set the trend for a lot of team sports. I have no doubt that once the cricket actually starts, it will just get better, because we have the best teams and best cricketers in the world on stage in a week’s time.”
In the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup, 10 teams, including two-time defending champions Australia, India, England, and Pakistan, will compete across 23 matches during the 18-day event. The teams, divided into two groups of five, will play each of the other four teams in their group in a round-robin format, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the knockout stages.
Fierce competition
Group A includes Australia, alongside India, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, while Group B comprises Bangladesh, England, South Africa, West Indies, and Scotland. The semi-finals will be held in Dubai and Sharjah on October 17 and 18, with the final set for October 20 in Dubai.
Sharjah will also host the opener between Bangladesh and Scotland, followed by Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Pradhan thanked the UAE and the Emirates Cricket Board for stepping in to conduct the global event at short notice and felt that the showpiece would only benefit the Associate Nations, particularly the UAE women’s team.
Growth of women’s cricket
“The UAE women’s team came very close to making it to this World Cup, giving Sri Lanka a real fright in the semi-finals of the qualifier that was held in Abu Dhabi. So the World Cup is definitely a place where I expect to see more associate members, especially with the expansion planned for the 2026 World Cup, which will have 12 teams. The UAE has always been a strong force in men’s competition, and the women, over the last few years, have produced some world-class players like Esha Oza and Kavisha Egodage. These are players who have really impressed and, hopefully, will get more opportunities to showcase their skills as the World Cup expands,” the 38-year-old added.
ICC’s role
The numerous franchise leagues, and the various measures taken by the ICC, have ensured that the game continues to grow at a healthy pace.
“The biggest reason behind the growth has been the collective drive and investment by the entire cricket family, the ICC, and the members. Women’s sport, just around the world, has broken barriers. Whether it’s football or the Paris Olympics, which has moved to a 50-50 gender parity in terms of athlete representation, there is a wave of women’s sport and cricket is definitely a leader within that movement,” Pradhan said.
“The numerous opportunities in Twenty20 franchise leagues like WPL, WBBL, and The Hundred, and the national contracts, make them believe that women’s cricket is a sport where you can make a living. As soon as that message gets through, more and more girls get involved, because the barriers break down. We are in a completely different place compared to 10 years ago. That’s a great sign that the game is moving up, and there is still much more to achieve.”
Waleed Bukhatir, vice-chairman of Sharjah Cricket and member of the Emirates Cricket Board, said during the inauguration: “There is nothing bigger than the World Cup, and we would love to host it again and again on this historic ground.”
