Support Women’s Cricket For The Sake Of Game: Sachin Tendulkar
Feb 4, 2017 at 3:18 PM
Throwing his weight firmly behind women’s cricket, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar feels glory days are waiting for women cricket.
The former India cricketer said the inclusion of new teams like Thailand in major events will play a pivotal role in popularising the game in new territories. Thailand will compete with Ireland, Zimbabwe and India in their group encounter of the upcoming ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifiers. The tournament also includes Pakistan, Bangladesh, Scotland and Papua New Guinea. The top four teams from the qualifying event will head to the ICC Women’s Championship which will be held from June 26 to July 23 in England.
“The inclusion of Thailand in World Cup cricket may be a surprise for some of you but it is a reality! Thailand will be bidding to feature in this year’s ICC Women’s World Cup when it will play in the Qualifiers in Colombo next week,” Tendulkar wrote in a column for the ICC.
“Subsequently, the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 in the United Kingdom in June-July will see top notch cricket being played by some of the finest and exemplary women cricketers from across the world,” he added.
Tendulkar also said the growth of women’s cricket can eradicate the social issues like gender bias.
“The women cricketers have caught the fancy of cricket aficionados around the world with stellar performances and have increased their audience.
“They have spawned interest in young girls to play the sport and also helping generate a larger following for the game at a time when the game is seeking to expand its footprint globally and become relevant in non-cricket playing countries,” he said.
“While gender bias has been the bane of many aspects of the world, the sports narrative seems to be different. It is heartening to see that cricket is making strides in helping women occupy their pride of place in the annals of cricketing history,” he added.
Citing the examples of some famous women cricketers including Indian stars Jhulan Goswami and Mithali Raaj, Tendulkar said women’s cricket is good for the game.
“There is our very own Jhulan Goswami, who is quick and gets that extra bit from the wicket and Mithali Raj, our seasoned campaigner from India,” he said.
“Talents like Bismah Maroof, Sana Mir (both Pakistan), Mignon du Preez, Dane van Niekerk and Marizanne Kapp (South Africa) are also exciting for the game and have their own following,” he added.
“I wish all the teams the very best for the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifiers and would urge all of you to wholeheartedly support women’s cricket, for the sake of cricket,” he concluded.