Sri Lanka (Commonwealth) _The Sri Lankan women’s cricket team has had an incredible year. Two months ago, Chamari Atapattu’s squad made history when they defeated New Zealand in Galle. This week, they accomplished the unthinkable by defeating England in their own home in a series that they had to come from behind to win.
Chamari Atapattu, the skipper, has been invaluable to the team, winning games all by himself. However, this team also has a number of really talented young ladies who may have a significant influence on the game in the future.
This year was a significant turning point for women’s cricket worldwide. Similar to most cricket matches, Australia has set the standard by charging the same match costs for women’s matches as the men’s squad.
Since then, the game has become professional thanks to the actions of New Zealand, England, South Africa, and India. When it comes to match fees, women are paid equally to males in each of these nations, and the next step will be to offer equal retainers.
By declaring that women’s World Cups will receive the same prize money as men’s competitions, the ICC showed appreciation for the proposal. Over the past five years or so, interest in women’s cricket has skyrocketed. While Sri Lanka has done a good job of catering to these interests, the rest of the globe has moved quickly and has made significant investments in women’s cricket.
SLC made a wise decision by increasing players’ match compensation and providing annual retainers for players. In addition, the board plans to declare a US$25,000 victory incentive following the team’s success in England. Under the highly skilled Rumesh Ratnayake, a committed coaching staff has also been a great move.
In addition to the national cricket squad, SLC has done a good job of enlisting former players as umpires and match referees; these really capable women are also being acknowledged by the ICC. Sadly, we are far from charging women the same match costs as males. Authorities are unwilling to even entertain the concept, but players will appreciate a sizable increase in match money, particularly following back-to-back series wins over two formidable teams.
There is much more that can be done to support women’s cricket than simply increasing match costs and prize money. Without a question, cricket is still the most popular sport in schools for males. However, in schools for girls, their favorite sports include netball, basketball, swimming, and even hockey. Sadly, cricket never gets close.
The lack of grounds at the majority of girls’ schools is one of the problems. Then a school will have to pay a huge sum of money for coaching staff and cricket equipment. More effort and funding are required to get the game into more classrooms. If SLC provides funding to teach the sport at 10 schools year, an increasing number of players will emerge.
Obviously, the next step is to start a girls’ school cricket competition. Although the Schools Cricket Association has contributed greatly to the sport, they haven’t done much to promote it in female-only schools.
While there are a ton of boys’ academies all throughout the nation, there aren’t many that serve females, which is another issue that has to be addressed. It’s a terrific move that SLC has finally announced a competitive domestic competition in which all of the main clubs, including SSC, NCC, Tamil Union, and others, will have women’s teams.
There are women’s franchise cricket tournaments in England, Australia, and now India. These well-organized and broadcast events have a noticeable impact on the number of players who emerge from these TV-based competitions.
Another area that needs attention is adding additional bilateral series for the under-19 squad as well as the women’s team. Having additional teams will present chances as opposed to only holding ICC-approved events. In comparison to other nations, we have undoubtedly lagged behind in this area.
In order to become a power in international cricket, we must continue to spend more and offer greater possibilities. The national cricket team’s accomplishments this year are truly exceptional, since they have defeated stronger teams.
The positive aspect is that we have discovered some exceptional players even in the absence of a structured cricket competition. Just consider the sheer number of talents that might emerge if we implemented structure and guidance at an early age.
Gwen Herath was the trailblazer of women’s cricket. She worked tirelessly to establish the sport independently during a period when it lacked structure or support. Her efforts are bearing fruit, and SLC would be wise to name the upcoming domestic competition after the legendary woman. She really is our cricket’s unsung hero.
