Irresistible force of women’s cricket set to fill stadiums

It’s time to stop talking about how far the women cricketers have come because they’re already here.

Australia warm up ahead of the opening match of the Women’s T20 World Cup against India on Friday night. Picture: AAP

It’s time to stop talking about how far the women cricketers have come because they’re already here.

Friday night’s Australia/India World Cup T20 opener at Sydney Showground was beamed into 200 countries and watched by more than a million Indians.

Good luck getting a ticket if Australia and India make it to the Women’s T20 World Cup final at the MCG on March 8.

Before that there’s 22 stand­alone matches under lights at stadiums such as the WACA and Manuka Oval.

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Don’t even bother speculating about whether crowd records will be broken. They’ll be smashed.

Because the record attendance for a women’s international in Australia is 4100 at North Sydney Oval.

“We’ll eclipse those crowds by multiples,” ICC T20 World Cup chief executive Nick Hockley told The Weekend Australian.

Tens of thousands are expected to show up for the final. Which is ticketed, unlike a lot of AFLW matches, which are free.

It underlines that for all the inroads made by the football codes, cricket has stolen a sizeable march on the field.

“Women’s cricket has a really long history,” Hockley said.

“The first cricket world cup was the Women’s World Cup in 1973, two years before the first men’s World Cup.”

Former Australian player Lisa Sthalekar reckons this tournament could be one of the biggest turning points in the women’s game.

Hockley thinks it might be even more than that. It might be a tipping point.

Back pages the nation over this week have been plastered with stories about Alyssa Healy’s form slump, Tayla Vlaeminck’s stress fracture, and India’s imposing spin attack. Everyone’s talking about the cricket, rather than the growth of the women’s game.

Hockley attributes that to a “whole host of factors” that have made this tournament a tipping point for women’s cricket.

“The increased professionalism is one factor,” Hockley said.

“The pay deal back in 2018 has allowed these cricketers to train full time. So that’s improved the standard.

“The broadcasters are showing all the international games and the BBL as well on TV so people are being exposed to fantastic cricket.

“And then you add in a World Cup, an amazing world event in Australia, which has a record of hosting great world events such as Olympic and Commonwealth Games.

“So it’s a combination of all those things.”

And more. The expat communities that embraced the men’s World Cup in 2015 are expected to again be out in force.

The tournament has gained further momentum from nations embracing the challenge of taking on the best — Meg Lanning’s Australians — on their own grounds.

Again, the cricket itself has been the focus. “The more established cricketing journalists have been writing about the players and the quality of the cricket,” Hockley said. “I think that’s because the standard has risen — because of the quality of the cricket.”

The momentum could lead to a women’s Indian Premier League.

“The conversation this week has been when, not if, is India going to introduce a women’s IPL,” Hockley said.

Hockley hopes the ICC has crafted a perfect blend of quality cricket, the star power of players such as Ellyse Perry, the superstar power of Katy Perry (who’ll perform at the final) and a format with broad appeal.

“It’s a special moment,” Hockley said before heading to the game with his daughters.

“Hopefully this is an opportunity to come and watch for people who haven’t been to an international cricket match before, because it’s a world event that’ll be a great night out for dads and daughters, for instance.

“The dads will come for the cricket and the daughters for the fantastic role models out in the middle.”