The Women's T20 World Cup has showcased an "outstanding" standard of cricket, according to the International Cricket Council's manager of women's cricket, Snehal Pradhan, as emerging nations have more than held their own against established teams. With the final set for Sunday at Lord's between England and Australia, Pradhan told AFP that the tournament has proven the depth of the women's game, allaying concerns about expanding the event from 10 to 12 teams.
Emerging Nations Make Their Mark
Scotland, in particular, have impressed, thrashing Ireland by 40 runs and pushing Sri Lanka close. They also challenged several other established teams, demonstrating that the gap between the top and emerging nations is narrowing. Ireland ended a 12-year wait for a maiden World Cup win by defeating the West Indies, the 2016 champions. These performances have silenced critics who doubted whether the expanded format would produce competitive cricket.
"I think it's been outstanding in terms of the standard of cricket that we've seen," Pradhan said. "The number of scores well above the 150-160 mark are a mark of an entertaining tournament. And some of those scores are being chased down -- you're not just having one team putting up a big score and the other team falling short. We've seen that even from the likes of Scotland, who have relied on their lower order to be able to get them scores of more than 150-160."
Competitive Balance and Surprise Results
The tournament has also seen title-holders New Zealand and the 50-over world champions fail to reach the semi-finals, a development Pradhan sees as a sign of the overall competitive levels. "It shows the overall competitive levels of the tournament," she said. The semi-finals featured a thrilling double-header at Lord's, where South Africa narrowly defeated Bangladesh and Australia knocked out India, drawing a crowd of around 27,000.
Record Crowds and the Return of Retired Stars
Another capacity attendance is expected for the final at the 'Home of Cricket'. Pradhan expressed a desire for larger venues, saying, "I'm almost sad that we don't have grounds here that are bigger than maybe the 27,000 capacity we've seen at Lord's, which has been the highest so far, because I feel some of these matches would have gone more than the 27,000 that showed up."
The tournament has also witnessed the return of several players from international retirement, notably South Africa fast bowler Shabnim Ismail, who played in the Proteas' semi-final loss to England. Pradhan highlighted the importance of equal prize money at ICC men's and women's tournaments, calling it "game-changing" and suggesting it may be a factor in luring stars back to the international game.
Olympic Inclusion and Global Expansion
Looking beyond the World Cup, cricket will return to the Olympics for the first time in over a century, with men's and women's T20 medals up for grabs at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Pradhan believes this is vital for the sport's global expansion beyond traditional cricket-playing nations once part of the British Empire. The inclusion in the Olympics is expected to boost cricket's profile and encourage investment in emerging cricketing nations.
