The Growth of Women’s Cricket | Major Tournaments in 2024

Women’s Cricket – Growing popularity, rising stars, & major tournaments in 2024

Cricket as a sport was always looked at as a men’s sport. It’s not like there was no women’s cricket in the world at all, but the preference was given more to men’s cricket.

The growth of women’s cricket has been one of the most significant and positive developments in the sport over the past few decades. We have seen women’s cricket recognized now all over the world.

Today, we will talk about the growing popularity of women’s cricket, rising stars, and major tournaments of women’s cricket in 2024. We will also see the major tournaments coming up in 2024. So let’s start.

The exponential growth of women’s cricket

The growth of women’s cricket has only increased in the last decade. There is a dedicated FTP (Future Tour Programme) for women’s cricket, preference for building the women’s cricket culture and infrastructure by the ICC and cricket boards, T20 leagues, media coverage, and much more.

The ICC (International Cricket Council) has also started prioritizing women’s cricket and different cricket boards all around the world have started following. The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) has increased the salaries of women’s cricketers (at par with men’s cricket). They started the Women’s Premier League (WPL) as well. Cricket Australia (CA) and England Cricket Board (ECB) have also its own T20 league.

Let’s see the factors that drive the growth of women’s cricket

Key factors

(1) Increased media coverage

The visibility of women’s cricket has increased significantly with major broadcasting deals. Social media platforms and streaming services have also played a critical role in making it more accessible to fans around the world.

(2) Professionalization

Several cricket boards, including those in Australia, England, India, and New Zealand, have introduced central contracts for female cricketers. The rise of women’s T20 leagues has provided players with professional platforms to showcase their talent and earn a livelihood.

(3) Global Tournaments

The ICC tournaments like Women’s ODI WC, and T20 WC have grown in stature and competitiveness. They are setting a new benchmark in terms of crowd attendance and global viewership, particularly the final held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in 2020.

(4) Development programs

Cricket boards and the ICC have invested in grassroots programs to encourage girls to take up cricket. Many countries have established cricket academies and scholarships specifically for women, providing them with the training and resources needed to compete at the highest level.

Let us now see some of the rising stars in women’s cricket coming up.

Rising women’s cricketers to look for

(1) Shreyanka Patil

Shreyanka Patil began to become well-known internationally after playing in her first ODI in December 2023. In addition to being an important component of the Royal Challengers of Bangalore team, Patil joined the Guyana Amazon Warriors of the Women’s Caribbean Premier League. She ended up taking the most wickets in the event during her first season with the Caribbean squad. She will be the one women’s cricketer to look for as a rising star.

(2) Issy Wong

A 22-year-old youngster will be the one to look for in the future. She has shown glimpses of her talent in whatever chances she got till now. Issy has only played 14 international games for England. But she has shown her worth in T20 leagues and will look to replicate those performances in internationals.

(3) Richa Ghosh

She is a big-hitting wicket-keeper hitter who is well-liked. Since making her stage debut abroad in 2021, Ghosh has garnered praise for her performances. She is a great addition to the Indian squad and is anticipated to be a key player going forward.

(4) Phoebe Litchfield

She is an Australian cricket who plays for Sydney Thunder. Phoebe became the youngest player to make a half-century in the WBBL. In a short international career, she has made an impact and will thrive more in the future.

Major tournament of women’s cricket in 2024

One of the major tournaments coming up in 2024 is ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024. It was scheduled to happen in Bangladesh, but due to political unrest in the country, the tournament has been shifted to UAE. Another major tournament is the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), played in the October-December period.

Other than these two major tournaments, there are a few bilateral series lineups like the SA-W tour of PAK, NZ-W tour of AUS, and IND-W tour of AUS, etc in 2024.

So a lot of cricket is coming up for the fans. It will be interesting to see who will win the ICC T20 WC title this time.

↻ Impact Of Cricket On India-Bangladesh Relations

Conclusion

So this is all about Women’s cricket’s growth, major tournaments, and rising women’s cricketers. The growth of women’s cricket is a testament to the resilience and talent of female cricketers, the commitment of cricket boards, and the changing perceptions of the sport. While challenges remain, the trajectory is promising, with continued progress likely to bring women’s cricket to new heights globally.