The Stream

The world of women’s cricket

Female cricketers continue to clear boundaries.

Cricket is a multi-billion dollar industry, and one of the most watched sports globally. But the women’s game has struggled to generate the profits and mega following of the men’s game. Female cricketers in Australia were awarded pay raises in April, yet they still earn a fraction of their male counterparts. Societal attitudes towards women playing sports also serve as barriers for female cricketers – some have even faced death threats.
 
Despite this, many of the biggest stars in women’s cricket choose to focus on more positive developments. Most of the women’s matches at this year’s World T20 tournament- one of the biggest events in the sport – were televised live for the first time. And though England and Australia have long dominated the women’s game, the West Indies triumphed at this year’s event, underlying the recent success of other nations.  The advent of domestic leagues such as the Women’s Cricket Super League in England, and the Women’s Big Bash League in Australia have also increased opportunities for female cricketers, both financially and in terms of experience.
 
We talk to some of the game’s biggest stars on Thursday at 1930 GMT.

On this episode of The Stream, we speak to:

Sana Mir @mir_sana05
Captain, Pakistan National Cricket Team

Merissa Aguilleira @mraguilleira
Member, West Indies National Cricket Team

Raf Nicholson @RafNicholson
Cricket historian and writer
crickether.com

Snehal Pradhan @SnehalPradhan
Former player, India National Cricket Team

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