Dubai, July 28, 2023 (PPI-OT): The final of the first-ever Cricket World Cup, the Women’s World Cup 1973, was played on this day at Edgbaston in England fifty years ago. As the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) month-long tribute to the ground-breaking event draws to a close, the ICC takes this opportunity to hail the trailblazing work that led the way to the healthy state that the women’s game is currently in.
Cricket once again finds itself in the unique position of making history, by becoming the first team sport to have prize money parity in its men’s and women’s World Cup events, after the announcement was made at the conclusion of the 2023 annual conference earlier this month.
It is not the first time that women’s cricket finds itself in a position of doing things first. For years, women have pioneered the game, reaching game-changing milestones before their male counterparts, such as the first-ever T20 international being a women’s match between England and New Zealand at Hove in 2004. Record-breaking, individual performances include Australia batter, Betty Wilson becoming the first player to score a Test century and take 10 wickets in a match, England’s Belinda Clark becoming the first international cricketer to score a double century in an ODI in 1997, New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr was the first player in ODIs to score a double century and take five wickets in 2018, at the young age of 17 at the time, while in 2021, Ireland’s Amy Hunter became the youngest cricketer to score an ODI century on the occasion of her 16th birthday, beating out Mithali Raj’s record from 1999, to name a few.
ICC’s Manager – Women’s Cricket, Snehal Pradhan is pleased that the tributes that have poured in for the pioneers of 1973 have shone a spotlight on the success stories of women’s cricket while also encouraging more discussion centred on the world-wide work that still needs to be done.
She said: “The game of today owes a great debt to the pioneers of the past. If our World Cups have reached prize money parity today, it is standing on a foundation laid by the class of 1973. It’s a fantastic coincidence to be able to announce parity exactly 50 years after women led the way by having the first World Cup. Both these events, one from the past and one in the present, have given cricket a special place among global sports and point to a bright future.”
“I was lucky enough to be involved in the 2009 Women’s World Cup, the first one organised by the ICC, and was amazed at what an uplift it was in terms of facilities, accommodation, and broadcast. For the players of today, that is the bare minimum, and the sky is the limit.” Former England player and current broadcaster, Isa Guha said: “We’ll never forget where women’s cricket came from and the fact that it was a World Cup that was set up before the men’s World Cup (which began it all). It takes one person to have an idea, but it takes a team to fulfil a dream.
“The visibility of women’s cricket has increased to beyond compare to what it was before. The recognition of women’s cricket and the perception of it has changed drastically in 50 years. “Women’s sport and women’s cricket are on the rise. I was at the most recent T20 World Cup in South Africa and to have a full-house crowd, to have a full stadium at the semi-final and final, it gave me goosebumps to see that. We’re seeing it around the world, we think back to the 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup final at the MCG, the 2017 Women’s World Cup final at Lord’s, there is recognition that women have drawing power, they can bring people to our sport and into the stadiums and create the kind of interest that would make people want to take up the sport.”
Australia wicketkeeper-batter, Alyssa Healy said: “I’ve been involved in women’s cricket for over 10 years now and I’ve seen it grow exponentially and it’s the chat around it that I love. People speak so positively about the women’s game, which is awesome, and it means that we’re doing something right.” West Indies captain, Hayley Matthews said: “There’s been so much progress and change in women’s cricket over the last 10 years or so and intentional acceleration which has been led by the ICC and most cricket boards around the world, but all of that could not have happened without the women who took the first steps on behalf of all of us 50 years ago and even beyond that.
“The fact that women had a Cricket World Cup before a men’s event came about is awesome, and we’re experiencing the benefits of ground made at that World Cup in real time. In my own context, the participation of women in cricket in the Caribbean has grown over the years due to the legacy created by those West Indians who played in that World Cup. Hopefully the next 10 years in women’s cricket will see even greater strides that future generations will benefit from.”
The World Cup of 1973 was a seven-team tournament, which was won by England in a final against Australia, ran from 20 June to 18 July. It was under the auspices of the Women’s Cricket Association, which governed the women’s game in England. The International Women’s Cricket Council administered international women’s cricket at the time. The entire event, which featured Australia, England, an International XI, Jamaica, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, and Young England, and was spearheaded by England captain at the time, Rachel Heyhoe-Flint under the sponsorship of British businessman, Sir Jack Hayward.
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