International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Sanjog Gupta has insisted that the Women's T20 World Cup can successfully co-exist with the men's football World Cup. England opened the cricket showpiece on home soil with an emphatic 87-run victory over Sri Lanka on Friday, in front of 14,865 fans at Edgbaston.
Record Ticket Sales
Gupta highlighted that ticket sales for the three-week event reached approximately 220,000 before a single ball was bowled, which is by far a tournament record. This suggests the women's event can hold public interest despite the dominance of the football World Cup in North America.
“We genuinely see this event as a seminal moment for the sport,” Gupta said. “I think the World Cups can co-exist. We've not seen any impact on ticket sales. If anything, the ticket sales have been stronger than ever, which is why we're at a point where we've sold more tickets than any previous edition of the Women's T20 World Cup.”
Attendance Projections
Gupta added that attendance numbers are tracking as expected, with projections reaching 300,000 if the weather holds. “We will have a fantastic tournament which will stand in its own right,” he stated.
England's female football and rugby teams have enjoyed public acclaim for their recent successes at the European Championships and Rugby World Cup. Now, their cricketing counterparts are aiming for glory in a crowded sporting calendar.
“We've seen tremendous acceleration in the growth of women's cricket to an extent where we now believe this event could potentially be one of the two biggest women's sporting events ever. It is not in any way being played in the shadow of the FIFA Men's World Cup,” Gupta concluded.
