There was a time, not so long ago in fact, that the concept of women’s cricket attracted derisive quips in cricket clubs and associations. Most famously, the Marylebone Cricket Club, barred women from entering the Long Room at Lord’s for the best part of 200 years. Only in 1999 did the members begrudgingly allow women to enter their hallowed sanctum.
However, times have changed. No longer is the women’s game the butt of ridicule. It has flourished throughout the world and even the MCC cannot ignore its rapidly growing popularity amongst true cricket fans. After all, a wristy flick through mid-wicket or a smooth cover drive, are rare treats, no matter the sex of the players.
Nowadays, tens of thousands of players take to the field, in women’s and girls club and representative competitions, each week. In the last World Cup final, which was held at Eden Gardens in Calcutta, 80,000 spectators turned out to watch Australia take on England.
On the 29th November this year the seventh Women’s World Cup will get underway in New Zealand, when the reigning champions, Australia, take on the hosts. Sponsored by CricInfo, the tournament is set to become the most popular and high profile in the history of the game.
For the first time the tournament will be covered extensively in the global media. CricInfo's web site, wwc2000.cricinfo.com, will provide exclusive groundbreaking interactive coverage of the tournament, using a complete range of multimedia elements, including video and audio, as well as ball-by-ball text commentary from every game.
The Women’s World Cup started back in 1973, two years before the inaugural men’s world cup. It evolved from a post drinks conversation between the avid cricket watcher, Sir Jack Hayward, and Rachael Hayoe-Flint, the then English Women’s captain. The tournament included teams from New Zealand, England, Jamacia, Trinidad, with an International XI to accommodate the rest.
The tournament past successfully, but not without controversy. Apartheid forced six of the International XI to barred entry into England and India was, rather officiously, prevented from participating because of a late entry.
Since then there have five more tournaments and the number of participants has increased to eight. With the likes of Bangladesh and Pakistan keen to join the party in 2004, the future of the game looks bright.
Sri Lanka, coined the ‘dark horses’ in the tournament and worthy of a speculative bet to reach the semi finals, first played in the 1997 World Cup. The players were inexperienced and leather ball was a novelty. Nevertheless, thanks to their match with India being abandoned and a six-wicket win over the West Indies, the team qualified for the quarterfinals.
They lost convincingly, but the experience wasn’t wasted for the team had natural talent. Observers were particularly impressed by the quality of the fielding and bowling. The batting may have been disappointing – their highest score in the tournament being 104 – but the players clearly had a good eye for the ball.
Rasanjali Silva, the Sri Lankan captain, remembers the tournament well: “It was only months after we had started playing with the hard ball and we had little exposure to proper cricket. The team lacked experience and this was evident in our batting. We didn’t know how to build innings, the value of singles, and the art of placing the ball into the gaps.”
Three years on, women’s cricket in Sri Lanka has taken root. Spurred on by the promise of international tours and a passion for the game, women have started to play the game in greater numbers. The all-island tournament has been swelled by the entry of new clubs, the national team has now toured India three times, and Sri Lanka has hosted tours from both the Netherlands and Pakistan. Through simply playing more often, against better opposition, the players have matured.
The present squad includes ten players who played in India in 1997. With more experience under the belt and after many a rigorous training session with their coach, Guy de Alwis, who has coached the side since the Women’s Cricket Association of Sri Lanka (WCASL) was formed in1996, Rasanjali Silva, is confident of being more competitive in New Zealand.
“Guy has worked really hard with the squad. When we first started training it was very light hearted and fun. However, we now practice very hard and play the game with greater discipline. He has drummed into us the basics, like playing ourselves in and playing as a team. He doesn’t even let us have soft drinks!”
“It’s been worthwhile though. The batting has improved, but, most importantly, everyone is keen to play and focused on winning. The likes of Australia, England and New Zealand still dominate the game, but we are confident, and look forward to the challenge.”
Whilst things may have changed, the team still faces obstacles such as a lack of practice on grass wickets. The WCASL is not awash with money, and is reliant on the team sponsor, Lanka Wall Tiles, and the generosity of various contributors, including the women’s employers.
The squad may not yet be afforded the kind of facilities and support that is provided to their competitors, but the Sri Lankan players don’t mind: “We are just happy to be playing the game we love,” said Rasanjali, before darting back down to practice and yet another grueling fielding session.
© CricInfo
| Related Link | Women's Cricket |
| Teams | Sri Lanka. |
| Tournaments | CricInfo Women's World Cup |
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