Prize is not just the trophy but chance for women’s game to go mainstream
Alison Mitchell looks behind the on-field action of this global event and identifies a crucial subtext
As one global tournament ends, another one starts in England and the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 gets underway tomorrow, with the hosts taking on India at a sold-out County Ground in Derby.
The 30-day event is the 11th edition of the tournament but only the third under the auspices of the ICC since they began running the game after a merger with the International Women’s Cricket Council in 2005. In the last few years, the improvements in player contracts, the growing professionalism of the game, the advent of the ICC Women’s ODI Championship as well as domestic T20 competitions such as the Women’s Big Bash and the Super League means that cricketers around the world are playing more matches against the best sides, they have more time to devote to their skills and fitness, and therefore the quality of cricket is expected to be the best at any World Cup yet.
For the first time, every match will either be televised or streamed, giving unprecedented visibility to the highest level of the women’s game. This, for me, is the most significant investment made in the tournament, even more so than the increase in prize money, which has gone up tenfold from the 2013 event to a total prize fund of US$2 million (£1.56m). The more the game is seen, the greater the understanding of the women’s game among fans, and the greater the opportunity to market and promote the game through viral video clips of the best run outs, the most athletic catches, the biggest sixes.
Of course, it also means any calamitous run outs will be widely shared, too, but having all matches available to watch means interested newcomers to the game will be able to gain a measured perspective on women’s cricket across a variety of matches, instead of, as sometimes happens, forming a generalised opinion based on a one-off game that may happen to be a poor one. Despite the tremendous advances that have been made, there is no escaping that women’s cricket is still evolving, still striving for wider recognition, for more commercial support and more publicity.This World Cup, therefore, is a huge shop window, and it needs to take the opportunity to sell itself.
Moreover, the analysis and critique of this World Cup should be the most vigorous the game has ever seen. Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry said recently that if she had one hope for women’s cricket, it was for the analysis to be as ruthless as it is for the men’s game. In the era of professionalism, with extended TV coverage, and a larger cohort of written and broadcast journalists than ever before who have a genuine knowledge and interest in the women’s game and its players, I believe it will be.
Australia are the holders, and will start as favourites having qualified top of the ICC Women’s ODI Championship and given their record at major global events. In the last seven years alone they won three World T20s in a row, together with the 2013 World Cup in India.Their only stumble was unexpectedly losing the final of the 2016 World T20 to the West Indies.The Aussies compete at this World Cup under a special pay deal, as the contract dispute between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association continues. As with the men at the Champions Trophy, there will be a risk that they
are asked more questions about off-field issues than they are about on-field. Captain and No.1 batter in the world, Meg Lanning, will need to ensure her team put it to the back of their minds and remain focused.
The ECB and the host counties have been embarking on visible marketing campaigns over the last 12 months, which ought to mean England enjoy strong home support for all of their matches. Brightly coloured billboard-size posters adorned the walls of tube stations in London as early as last year promoting the tournament, while the gasometer at the Oval was wrapped in a Women’s World Cup poster during the Champions Trophy to remind fans of the next big event.
This is Heather Knight’s first World Cup as captain (she’s returned to fitness after a stress fracture in her foot) and Mark Robinson’s first as coach. The return of wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor is a welcome boost, and here’s hoping she makes it through the tournament successfully as she continues to manage her anxiety.
On an individual level, Katherine Brunt is the only England player to feature in the top five of any of the ICC ODI rankings going into the tournament, but since the 2015 Ashes defeat, England have won ODI series against Sri Lanka,West Indies and South Africa away, as well as trouncing Pakistan 3-0 at home last summer after the appointment of Robinson and the departure of Charlotte Edwards as captain. Sterner tests will come, however, from Australia, New Zealand and a resurgent India. England will be hugely disappointed if they’re not contesting the final in front of a home crowd at Lord’s.
India come into the World Cup having achieved their highest ever ODI run-chase en route to winning the final of the qualifying tournament in Colombo. Politics meant they weren’t able to fulfil their fixtures against Pakistan in the ICC Women’s ODI Championship, which doubled as World Cup qualification, and they finished fifth, just outside the automatic qualification places.They are a much better side than that, though, and won 16 ODIs in a row between February 2016 and May 2017.
Keep an eye out for the bespectacled 20-year-old opener Smriti Mandhana, who is back in the squad after rupturing her ACL at the Women’s Big Bash. Deepti Sharma was the leading run-scorer at the qualifying tournament and is a hot prospect at just 19.
The West Indies are unfailingly entertaining to watch due to their power hitting from Deandra Dottin, Hayley Matthews and Stafanie Taylor, together with their unpredictability. They lit up the stage en route to beating Australia in the final of the World T20 in 2016, and Matthews provided the moment of the tournament when she advanced down the pitch and smashed Perry for six.The shortest format is their biggest strength, but they were finalists at the World Cup 2013 (losing to Australia) and will have designs on pushing a few teams out of the way once more.
New Zealand were World Champions in 2000 but haven’t hit the same heights since, despite coming close with a semi-final in 2005 and losing to England in the final in 2009.They are expertly led by the powerful all-rounder Suzie Bates and are always tournament challengers.
South Africa are on the rise and now have a significant amount of experience in their side, meaning they could steal a semi-final spot. All rounder Marizanne Kapp has proved herself to be a top class bowler both internationally and with the Sydney Sixers in the WBBL. She is No.1 in the world in ODIs at the moment.
Sri Lanka caused a stir four
years ago when they beat England for the first time in an ODI during the World Cup in Mumbai. Nine of their squad played in that tournament so they carry some experience through to England, but the most they can hope for this time round is to again be the cause of an upset.
Pakistan managed to beat India during the World T20 last year, but the gap is much wider over the ODI format and they took the last remaining qualifying spot in Colombo.They have a new coach – their fourth in the last year – so stability rests largely with the experience of captain Sana Mir.They finished last at the 2013 World Cup, so anything above that is an improvement.