Deandra Dottin was given an improbable task of defending five runs in the last over. The task would look even more difficult considering the fact it was the first over of the match for the Barbados-born West Indies cricketer.
But the 30-year-old did the trick. She conceded just two runs and picked up two wickets in that over to bundle out hosts New Zealand Women team for 256 runs and handed her side an amazing three-run victory at Mount Maunganui.
That was the first match of the ODI Women’s World Cup 2022, one could not ask for a better start than this for the tournament that has importance within and beyond the boundary of the cricket field.
The next day saw another thrilling match where the oldest rivals, England and Australia, locked horns and the latter won the battle by 12 runs after posting 310 runs on the board. The big scores dismantle the dogma of women being ‘physically weak” and proves they are capable of hitting big shots and scoring big runs like their male counterparts.
As a matter of fact, currently the highest team total in any ODI is 491, scored by New Zealand women’s team against Ireland Women in 2018 and it is 10 runs more than the record held by a men team- England against Australia, 11 days later on June 19, 2018.
It is a pity that women hardly get chances to play Test matches. As a matter of fact, so far only one Test match is held this year, and only a farcical total of three in as many years from 2019. However, that Test match is arguably the most thrilling one, where any of the three results could be possible till the last ball of the match.
And how about the perception of people not interested in watching women’s cricket?
For them, the answer is a number- 86,174- that many people were present to observe the final of Women’s World Cup T20 2020 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It was 20,000 more than that of Men’s T20 World Cup final at the historic Eden Gardens back in 2016.
So, these facts debunk the claims of women cricket being ‘weak’ and ‘not attractive’. It at the same time intertwined with many other facts.
March 5, 2022 was the day Australia beat England in the aforementioned game. Some of the staunchest Bangladeshi cricket fans might be excited to feel they are becoming a part of history. Bangladeshi girls, however, failed to create history by beating a mighty South Africa side. It was the first time Bangladesh took part in the ODI Women’s World Cup.
In a way, it was part of a mega narrative that describes the journey of Bangladesh, its rise as a nation and enlightenment of women, perhaps the single most important factor of this voyage.
Cricket is the most popular game in the country and the men’s national cricket team is the most discussed matter among the people.
But women’s cricket has greater ramifications beyond frontiers.
“The more our girls are playing cricket, the more they are getting confident,” said Nazmul Abedin Fahim, one of the most respected cricket coaches in the country, who has worked with women teams for many years.
The confidence Nazmul was mentioning was evident in the Asia Cup final and it was brimming in the face of Bangladesh Captain Nigar Sultana Jyoti when she spoke to ICC ahead of the ongoing World Cup.
“We shall overcome one day,” that is our favourite tune whenever we win any match, said a proud Jyoti.
She however, said her journey was a tough one like that of any other Bangladeshi girl in a conservative society and yet she got tremendous support from her family. And that empowered the Bangladeshi skipper like many other working women and aspiring girls in her society. That also aligns with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal, one of the main goals of which is “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.”
Punny Kabir, a PhD student of anthropology and former journalist, believes the rise of women cricket is a very significant thing.
“This is a huge inspiration for our girls. I wanted to become a cricketer as my father is a great fan of West Indies cricket and I used to play cricket with boys and girls in my childhood. But my parents, despite being very supportive, could not encourage me to become a cricketer as it had no future.
“But now I am staying in a European country, and for a Bangladeshi girl, especially from the middle class background, staying here and acquiring higher studies was almost an unthinkable dream decades ago. These women cricketers will encourage many more to break the shackles of many unwanted taboo”
The situation was rather different for Fareeha Rahman, a former student of Sunndydale School. She was more interested in basketball and football and there was no ground for her to play cricket in one of the posh schools of the city. Samira Ahmed, another cricket loving girl from a rich-class background, also thought her friends were not very interested in the game as they did not find it ‘cool’ like other global games.
But the recent success of cricketers and their potential to become superstars will inspire many young girls and their guardians from different social classes to take to the field with bat and bowl just as it happened with boys over the last two decades or so.
And from a business perspective, there are huge opportunities.
Currently with very few sponsorships female cricketers get very little salary and their major source is the coffer of Bangladesh Cricket Board.
Things have been different in countries like Australia, England and even India.
“India has also hosted women’s IPL. This shows there is a huge opportunity in terms of cricket and sponsorship,” said Nazmul.
With a huge market and potential there is no reason Bangladeshi stakeholders cannot emulate them. Nazmul believes the key is to build the game at the grassroots level.
Girls at the school level should be more encouraged to play cricket. It would be good investment for government and non-government organizations to support those programme, as that will not only boost country’s pride in terms of cricket but also will help achieve other goals like gender equality, women empowerment and builds a strong base for a confident nation.