Written by: Waseem Abbas
Posted on: April 29, 2024 | 
| 中文
Pakistan women cricket team
Pakistan Women's Cricket Team lost all three matches against West Indies in the recently concluded ODI series, which prompted many critics to suggest an overhaul in the management of women's cricket and the accountability of the coaches and players. There is no doubt that the performance of the Pakistan Women's team is not up to the mark, but reaching radical conclusions before understanding the ground realities would be a superficial way of addressing the problem. A plethora of factors, such as the absence of grassroot facilities, societal barriers and less financial support, amongst other factors, contribute to the mediocre performance of women's cricket team, despite twenty-seven years of international experience. Only a systematic and cultural overhaul can improve Pakistan women's cricket and revitalize the female cricketers.
Pakistan women team
Women do not play sports in Pakistan because of cultural and societal limitations, as women’s participation in sports is socially frowned upon by a generally conservative society. Even at the school level, girls are discouraged from participating in sports, including cricket. Even those women who break the glass barrier and convince their families for allowing them a career in sports, face numerous challenges. There is a shortage of playgrounds for women, and although a few big cities might have these facilities, but a lot of talent is wasted before these women make it to the big clubs. Fatima Sana, a rising fast bowler in the Pakistan women's team, recounted in an interview with TRT World that she played her initial cricket alongside boys in her neighborhood in Karachi, as there was no proper facility for women's cricket. In an interview with Dawn in 2022, the current captain of the women's team, Nida Dar, recalled that girls "cannot go and train at any place at any time”, because of the limited facilities for women. Nida said that they practice hard to maintain their fitness level, “the difference between us and other teams can be that of facilities and the environment.”
Team Pakistan celebrates after taking a wicket
It is unfortunate that Pakistan is currently ranked 10th in ODIs and 8th in T20Is, and has never won any ICC competition in its history. It is imperative to realize that there is no grassroots level system of talent hunt in Pakistan for women's cricket, as the first contract system for domestic women cricketers in Pakistan was introduced only in 2023. The central contracts for women cricketers announced in 2023 increased match fees by 100 percent in ODI cricket and 50% in T20Is. According to the daily Dawn, an average male cricketer makes 6 times more than a female cricketer in Pakistan. As players struggle with financial constraints, especially at the domestic and club level, for it is the transformative period in their careers. They are unable to focus on their cricket, resulting in a waste of talent.
Former captain Bismah Maroof has announced retirement recently
The leading international teams in women's cricket, like Australia, India and England, have sustainable ways of financing their teams, resulting in well-groomed, well-trained and carefree cricketers who perform to their potential. Indian women's team captain Mithali Raj questioned the pay gap between male and female cricketers in 2017, and as a result, BCCI has equaled the monthly pay, match fees, and other ruminations for male and female cricketers. Women IPL in India has generated huge sums in the last two years, and has paid women cricketers as much as 0.4 million USD per tournament, more than what PSL paid to its superstars. It will be impractical to demand equal pay for male and female cricketers in Pakistan, which stands at 142nd position out of 146 countries in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index. It is, however, not illogical to demand that steps be taken to increase the flow of funds from the cash-rich men's cricket to female cricket, to improve the quality of women's cricket in the country.
Team Pakistan
One reason why women cricketers in Pakistan fail to perform up to their potential is the lack of competitive cricket and the experience of sharing a dressing room with the game's superstars. BBL and IPL have introduced league cricket for women, bringing money, fame and exposure to female cricketers, but unfortunately, Pakistani cricketers are left out of these competitions due to different reasons. Nida Dar and Fatima Sana are exceptions, who have played women's Big Bash.
Pakistan men's cricket is flourishing despite the odds because of the money involved, viewership, legacy and history of men's cricket. Superstars like Imran Khan, Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad, Waseem Akram and Shoaib Akhtar have enriched the sport and popularized the game to every corner of the country, which is missing in women cricket. Even in women's cricket, Australia, India, South Africa, West Indies and England have female superstar cricketers, who elevate the game in their respective countries. Players such as Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, Smriti Mandhana, Stafanie Taylor, Chamari Athapaththu, Marizanne Kapp, Sarah Taylor, Elysee Perry, Shabnam Ismail, amongst others, attract crowd, viewership and revenue, and inspire young girls to take up the sport. Players like Sana Mir, Bismah Maroof and Nida Dar have achieved the status of stars, and young girls are following in their footsteps. It can be expected that the stardom of players like Dar, Maroof and Mir has definitely inspired young girls, and hopefully, there will be future stars in women's cricket as well.
Pakistan team players with Bismah Maroof's daughter
We need to follow a carefully crafted approach to women's cricket, as girls are systematically marginalized, facilities are not up to the mark, and financial constraints restrict the growth of the team. Unless we match India, England, Australia, South Africa, West Indies and others in providing facilities to women's cricket, we cannot remain competitive. Only after revamping societal stereotypes about women in sports, increasing women's participation in cricket, improving the game at the grassroots level and increasing revenues for women's cricket team, can we dream of winning ICC trophies and defeating world-class teams like West Indies, England and Australia. Populist statements and programs about women's cricket without these systematic changes will completely fail to produce the desired change.
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