Women’s cricket – what’s next?

After the unbelievable reaction that my post yesterday got, like a true London bus, I’ve written another one after the five month absence. It’s not as controversial as issue as the KP one, but nevertheless it’s one that is very important to me.

The recent series against South Africa has raised many issues for me. It was brilliant to see the series televised the game on Sky yet some of the comments I saw on Twitter and other social media were highly disappointing.

At the start of 2014, the ECB announced a professional contract package for the women’s cricketers. It was a good move but still not enough. Then came the sponsorship deal with Kia Motors. This shows that quite clearly there is the demand for the women’s game yet there was still a disappointing turnout at Edgbaston for the final T20.

And this is not a problem that solely lies with cricket, spectator numbers for women’s sport are always low with the possible exception of tennis.

I don’t want to turn this blog into a rant against the ECB, it isn’t. As of 2013, there are 60,000 women playing cricket in the UK and this is something that should be applauded. But it doesn’t mean it is the end of the road.

To me, there is one obvious solution to this problem and it lies with free-to-air TV. Sky have been superb with their promotion of the women’s game but there will always be a problem if your audience is so limited.

The important aspect of growing women’s sport is promotion. The Olympics led to a huge rise in participation for sports which have never had so much exposure. This is the same issue with women’s cricket.

During the end of the game against South Africa, there were three moments that really stuck in my mind. A direct hit from Nat Sciver from the boundary rope, a sensational catch from Lydia Greenway the ball afterwards and Sarah Taylor enacting a run out in front of the stumps from a ball at her feet. All three were utterly sensational and in my opinion world class irrespective of gender. Yet there were viewed by a combined TV audience of 12.

Just imagine, if only the BBC would broadcast the game and people could really witness the incredible talents on display. Who is to say that this will not inspire a whole generation of girls to take up the sport. For a whole generation to be able to have their own heroes.

People need to realise that women’s sport has the potential to be as successful as the male equivalent and cricket is a better position than most sports in order to try and boost its popularity. All it needs now as that additional exposure as it is plain to see, the future is certainly bright.

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