The Melebourne Cricket Ground! The biggest cricketing hub of the globe was on its feet to host the very big women’s T20 world cup finals. It couldn’t get any better, playing such a huge game on a very special day – The international women’s day. The crowd was in jubilation, turned up in blue and yellow colors to cheer the girls to get their hands on the much anticipated T20 world cup trophy.
And undoubtedly the Australian women embraced the high voltage game on the big day and crossed the winning line predominantly to put their hands on the trophy. All thanks to their domestic circuit and the way their board has structured the entire cricketing process not just for the men’s cricket but even for the women’s team.
Looking at the other side, the Indian team with such an amazing run through out the tournament, beating the same opponent at the tournament opener, had all the necessary things to nail the final match as well but unfortunately they just slipped right on the big day. No matter what, one has to surely appreciate the way the entire team applied themselves on the field in the group stage and entering the finals as an unbeaten side.
Considering the fact that the whole bunch of the young girls played in front of the 60,000+ crowd at the MCG for the very first time with all those tiny butterflies in the stomach, sweaty palms and a pounding heart. We are hardly left with any reasons to blame the girls. But at the end you will have no other option to just look at the board – BCCI with a ting of disgrace for many obvious reasons.
Definitely not being stereotypical to talk about the equality for women on a women’s day but demanding for a fair treatment of women’s cricket undeniably sounds as a rightful claim on any given day. Fair treatment absolutely talks nothing about the wage difference between women’s team in comparison with the men’s team but exclusively showers light about the huge gap in the domestic structure in the women’s team compared to the men’s team.
BCCI being such a powerful board at the global level has to consider the women’s team in the same spirit as they go with the men’s team. The lame efforts of BCCI organizing just an exhibition match and a T20 challenge which consisted of only 3 teams in the past couple of years has just proven to be an eye washer for the women’s team and that’s just been a mere placard of their miserable efforts in bringing up the women’s team.
The board’s commitment should reflect on planning to organize a sophisticated 4-day tournaments, a 50 over competitive tourney and most importantly a much needed full fledged T20 league to groom the young girls to play under pressure and to shine on big occasions. There’s no need of any examples other than the Australian women’s triumph today. They were able to achieve the feat only because of their great domestic structure and their board’s effort of exposing their girls in the Big Bash League from the past 6 years in the same way as they do for the men’s Big Bash league. No doubt the girls have proven the board’s efforts to be worth while by reaching 6 T20 world cup finals and lifting the trophy in 5 occasions.
And it’s high time for the BCCI to spend their cash rich treasure on their women’s team too, keeping aside all their commercial greed. Since cricket is not just a commercial vehicle, but viewed more as religion itself in the country. A game played compassionately by tons of players not just the men even the women.
In a recently concluded ICC meeting, BCCI had demanded for a higher share of the overall revenue just like how they do on every annual meeting. But the question lies on how sensibly the board is spending on women’s cricket where we can hardly see any efforts coming on the women’s team in the domestic circuit.
Yes not only for BCCI, its high time for every other board to sought some learning from the Cricket Australia Board who has set an example on how rightfully even the women’s team has to be treated and nurtured along with the men’s team.
Author – Pavan
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