Mithali Raj has been the flagbearer of women’s cricket in India for almost two decades now but the change that has taken place in the women’s game in the last year, with the team’s run to the World Cup final in England, is something that even she would not have expected.
Speaking at the second annual ICC Women’s Cricket Forum, the Indian ODI captain said she hoped that women’s cricket in India can build on the momentum the team has created.
“This is the beginning of good times for women’s cricket, what happened in the World Cup and the way people now see women’s cricket as a viable sport,” she said in an interview with ICC.
“There is no longer any ignorance about the women’s game, cricket talk is not limited to the men’s game or amongst men’s fans. The reach is now there, so the common man can see women’s cricket and we are breaking viewership records and it is important we continue that interest,” she said, opening the conference in Kolkata, which is part of the week-long ICC meetings in the city.
She also spoke about how the standalone World T20 later this year is a huge opportunity for the women’s game.
“We are now starting to see stand-alone women’s event and we have the ICC World T20 later this year and this is good. Double-headers were important at first but no matter how good the women’s cricket, it was always overshadowed by the men. At a stand-alone tournament you ‘own the stage’ and it’s another opportunity to promote the game on a larger platform,” the 35-year-old said.
Holly Colvin, ICC Women’s Cricket Manager also spoke about broadcasting all the women’s matches at the World Cup, something which is still major hurdle for women’s cricket.
“At the inaugural ICC Women’s Forum last year, the seed to broadcast every match of the Women’s World Cup was sown. The group here can influence and change the women’s cricket landscape for the better.
“The 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup was a resounding success but we cannot rest on our laurels. This year’s forum is about how we maintain the momentum and continue to grow the women’s game,” she added.
Here’s the video interview:
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