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SPORTS JUNE 04, 2021 | The Indian Eye 54

hoping against hope:

is WOMen’s cricKet aliVe?

The pandemic has elevated the disparity between men’s & women’s cricket,

with the situation worsening in recent weeks.

post-pandemic disorder The Test in Australia will be
a day-night affair, which adds
he crescendo beginning another layer of excitement.
in the 2017 Women’s Apart from the ongoing
TODI World Cup peaked Ireland-Scotland series, New
on March 8th, 2020 with 86,174 Zealand’s tour of England in
spectators witnessing the World September is the only other
T20 final. However, progress has scheduled series prior to the
stalled due to the COVID-19 ODI World Cup (March 2022).
break. Between March 2020 &
January 2021, here is how the the hundred is the savior
counterparts stacked: The Hundred in July
1. Maximum possible days of this year promises to be a
international cricket sched- BroKen cricKet dreams game-changer for women’s
uled (5 days maximum per cricket.
tests) NITESH MATHUR All men & women’s game
• Men: 128 days will be held on the same day
• Women: 16 days (includ- www.brokencricketdreams.com on the same ground, will be
ing 5 Austria-Germany T20Is) televised (including free-to-
2. Total Matches Played (Inter- WV Raman was the casualty, Mandhana, Kaur, & Poonam air games), and prize money
national/Leagues) alleging a “smear campaign” (Grade A) earn 50 lakhs INR will be shared evenly between
• Men: 540 against him. Replacement ($68,000), while stalwarts like the winners of the men’s &
• Women: 144 Ramesh Powar, who famous- Mithali Raj & Jhulan Goswa- women’s tournaments. It has
Oh yeah, and while the ly had a fallout with Mithali mi (Grade B) plummet down the potentialize to revolution-
BCCI is moving heaven and Raj in 2018, was picked as the to 30 lakhs ($41,000). This is ize the women’s game and
earth to resume its second it- head coach again. comparable to the current become a template for other
eration of the IPL post-pan- standard around the world, T20 leagues to follow.
demic, Women’s T20 Chal- stark payment gap but things do need to change. Even Indian players have
lenge has accumulated only 4 Although women crick- What’s worse? World T20 been given the green signal
matches combined. eters have seen a marked in- finalist prize money worth to participate in the Women’s
crease in revenue since 2017 $500,000 has not been paid Hundred & the Women’s Big
miscommunication at its (with New Zealand, England, yet, 14 months later. It took Bash League (WBBL).
Finest India, & Australia expanding a Telegraph article & subse-
Women’s cricket resumed central contracts), it is nearly quent social media outrage When Will the attitudes
in September 2020 as West not enough. for BCCI to act, finally paying change?
Indies toured England. Lat- BCCI’s latest contracts the dues. Australia, England, New
er in the year, New Zealand caused uproar, with the high- The most profitable crick- Zealand are prime examples
played against Australia & est paid men’s bracket worth et board needs to allocate of how to recruit the future of
England, and Pakistan visited fourteen times as much as the resources properly. The least women’s cricket, with efforts
South Africa. It took Indian highest paid women’s bracket. they can do is avoid media visible in the WBBL & New
women an entire year before Grade A+, consisting of stunts and focus on tangible Zealand’s Super Smash tour-
a series against South Africa Kohli, Sharma, and Bumrah progressive changes. naments.
was scheduled in March 2021, earn about 7 crores (INR) or Yet, there is still a long way
with the Proteas thrashing In- about $964,000 (USD). Grade hope in times of to go. Each national board
dia 4-1 (ODIs) & 2-1 (T20I). A earn 5 crores ($689,000), B Uncertainty should prioritize women’s
Although series loss should with 3 crores ($413,000), & Not all is lost, however. cricket, invest accordingly in
have been attributed to lack C, consisting of the likes of Indian women are slated the infrastructure, and work
of match practice, domes- Kuldeep & Gill, earn around for two Test matches (last Test together with other nations to
tic tournaments, & national 1 crore ($138,000). in 2014) this year, one each uplift standards.
camps, highly regarded coach Their counterparts— against England & Australia. Am I hoping against hope?

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