Women’s cricket has moved in leaps and bounds

By Adrian Abraham, Special to Gulf News

The year 2016 has been a remarkable one for women’s cricket, comprising various historic events. It was a year of ‘firsts’ for the sport, often overshadowed by its male counterpart.

The West Indies became the first team from outside Australia, England or New Zealand to lift the Twenty20 World Cup. Spearheaded by captain Stephanie Taylor and instrumental all-rounder Deandra Dottin, they comprehensively beat Australia by eight wickets in Kolkata to be crowned champions.

Another ground-breaking move saw Debbie Hockley appointed as the first female president in New Zealand’s 122-year cricket history. The former Black Caps International’s selection was all the more significant as it was the first time a Test nation had designated a woman to the role.

Ireland’s Catherine Dalton also made headlines after she was appointed the bowling coach for the Rajasthan Cricket Association, etching her name into the history books by becoming the first woman to coach a professional men’s team.

Domestically, the Women’s Big Bash League accounted for some extraordinary numbers. A match between the Sydney Thunder and the Melbourne Stars was shown on prime-time television on a Saturday night, attracting 637,000 viewers — overtaking last year’s record-breaking Melbourne derby.

Despite the soaring popularity of the game, there are wider advances to be considered. For instance, the International Cricket Council paid for all men’s teams to fly business class to the ICC World Twenty20, a sharp comparison to the women who flew economy class.

The pay gap between men and women is still high. On the back of their Twenty20 success, the West Indian men shared $1.1 million (Dh4 million) while the women were left with $70,000.

However, when England host the Women’s ICC World Cup next year, the ICC will pay for all teams to travel business class. In addition, women will be entitled to the same daily expenses as men, a momentous decision which proves how seriously the women’s game is treated.

Adrian Abraham is an intern at Gulf News.