The Women’s Cricket World Cup begins in New Zealand on Friday, with organizers eager to capitalize on the growing interest in the women’s game after overcoming hurdles related to the pandemic.
The eight-nation tournament was originally scheduled for early 2021 but had to be postponed to March this year as travel restrictions related to the coronavirus made it impossible to bring teams to New Zealand.
Even now, overseas players undergo 10 days of isolation and must follow strict “bubble” health protocols.
Crowds are also restricted as the host nation attempts to contain the outbreak of the highly permeable Omicron variant, meaning spectators must congregate in “pods” of 100 dotted around venues.
While the specter of positive tests among players hangs over the event, tournament chief executive Andrea Nelson said plans were in motion to deal with most contingencies.
“We have faced challenges all the way through this event, and we have overcome them all so far, so I have no doubt that we will continue to do so,” she said.
The 2017 tournament in England, won by the host nation, was watched by 180 million worldwide, but Nelson said the potential for women’s cricket was even bigger, pointing to the 2020 T20 Women’s World Cup in Australia.
“We’ve got such a massive and growing audience for cricket – the T20 Women’s World Cup final was watched by 1.1 billion people worldwide, which is dwarfed by the men’s Rugby World Cup,” she said.
This will be the 12th edition of the tournament, with six-time winners Australia entering as favourites, followed by defending champions England having won the trophy four times.
New Zealand is the only team to have won the tournament when they last hosted the tournament in 2000, while defeating India in the finals in 2005 and 2017.
Pakistan, South Africa, West Indies and Bangladesh were eliminated, the latter opening their tournaments.
‘Break the glass ceiling’
The event uses a round-robin format, with each team facing each other over the course of 28 matches, followed by a three-match knockout phase involving the top four teams.
The six host cities are: Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington, Dunedin and Christchurch.
The final will be played at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval, which has been refurbished with lights and improved facilities to bring it to international standards.
This is a far cry from the last time New Zealand hosted the tournament, when most matches were played in a varsity oval, 25 km outside Christchurch.
Prize money for the tournament has been increased from $2 million in 2017 to $3.5 million, with the winning team banking $1.32 million.
While the prize pool does not match the $10 million paid out in the men’s tournament, Australian fast bowler Darcy Brown said it still reflects the gains made in the women’s game.
“I’m really grateful to be able to get paid to play cricket… that’s just what I’m worried about at the moment,” she said.
“It’s always great to get paid to play the game you grew up playing.”
Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof said she is enjoying the prospect of finally taking the field, with her team starting their campaign on Sunday with a blockbuster against arch-rivals India at Mount Maunganui.
“Covid has had an impact on women’s sport across the world, but this tournament promises a fresh start and comes with a glimmer of hope to get back to our normal lives,” she said.
“For Pakistan, the Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 is an opportunity to make a mark and break the glass ceiling.”
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