Women’s cricket face blow after blow
View(s):Just like the present state of the game, women’s cricket in Sri Lanka was rather hazy even in the past. Though the recorded history of the game goes back to the days of Women’s Cricket Association of Sri Lanka under abled Gwen Herath in 1996, the game has a history that runs deeper. In 2006, women’s cricket became a part of the established Sri Lanka Cricket.I remember as a young reporter covering women’s cricket much long years ago. A vivid memory in my mind is a game which I covered at the Colts Ground between a Sri Lankan XI and an Indian XI. Though the outcome of the game has slipped my mind, I remember the incident and the young scorer who sat by me the entire day.
Now a decade in the boots of Sri Lanka Cricket — has it grown and spread its tentacles? We know for sure that the guys at the International Cricket Council are pretty much serious about the progress of the women’s segment and are not thrifty when it comes to back up funds.
In general terms, women’s cricket also has a recorded history as long the men’s with the first women’s cricket being reported in ‘The Reading Mercury’ on 26 July 1745, a match contested “between eleven maids of Bramley and eleven maids of Hambledon, all dressed in white”, while the first known women’s cricket club was formed in 1887 in Yorkshire, named the White Heather Club.
Perhaps even the overarm bowling thus originated when a young lady found it difficult to deliver the ball to her brother while wearing a long fluffy gown. So, ladies cricket has been a part of the game since almost its inception.
Coming back to Lankan cricket, though the Lankan ladies have been involved with the hardball game for over three decades, what have we achieved? Being involved in a sport at international level is expensive. Yet, when it comes to cricket it is much more expensive a game to indulge in. Then at the same time, if you are serious about staying involved in the game, one must have positives to call of your own. As for the Lankans, besides the Bronze Medal which Sri Lanka won at the 17th edition of the Asian Games in 2014 beating China by five wickets, we have hardly anything to talk about.
Yes, we do remember the 2013 Women’s Cricket World Cup. Sri Lanka beat England in a pool match, which was a major upset in Women’s ODI history. England were the world’s top ranked team and Sri Lanka went with underdog status, and this win gave our team the attention it deserves in World Cricket. Then Sri Lanka’s away win against India also was also an eye opener, but, frankly I suppose that is why they are in the business and the SLC management keeps pumping out the dollars at their beck and call. The Lankan lasses are paid to bring home positive results.
A cricket insider who has experienced the issue — the plight of the Lankan women cricketers — confessed “There was a time when our cricketers were good enough even to beat the West Indies, but, sadly now they are driving on top gear on the reverse.
“There are various reasons that we could put forward. Factionalism among the team members is rampant. The squad is manipulated by parties and the stronger faction invariably controls the situation and sometimes even certain individuals who are in the management are hand-in-glove with the state of affairs. Most of the times it spreads on to other individuals and often the coaches themselves become victims of the situation or a part of it.”
A rather hazy walk back for the Lankan women
He said he was aware that at one juncture one national captain had the audacity to walk up to the management and demand the removal of the coach. Though the final outcome was complete contrast, the game jolted at its very base. He pointed out the game of women’s cricket is in steady decline. In 2015 there were some positives, but, during the past year or so, Sri Lanka have lost thirty five out of the thirty seven matches that they have played.
The cricket insider is of the view that the fault lies in the very structure of the women’s cricket. Unlike the boys’ game, there is no structured base for women’s cricket and coaching is mainly done through private institutions. It’s not rocket science to know that if the base is not properly structured, you cannot build upon it. A majority of the women cricketers, who take the game seriously, have to seek refuge in the three armed forces and the police for employment. Then the next question is: How much could the three armed forced also accommodate?
This means unlike the men’s competition, the authorities have not focused on the development of women’s cricket in a scientific manner akin to the women’s cricket structures in countries like England and Australia. The cricket insider lamented that some women county teams in England could beat some of the local top men’s teams.
The coach of the women’s cricket team told the media in the aftermath Australian whitewash this week, “Sadly the women’s cricket lacks a proper top club tournament to fall back on.” Now after the humiliating five-nil defeat at the hands of the Australians, it is learned that the Lankan cricket authorities have taken the women’s team and its management to task. But, at the same time we learn that they are also trying to cut back on the funds allocated to the women’s wing at the SLC.
Gwen Herath
This is where, the cookie crumbles. The authorities just keep the women’s arm alive because it is part and parcel of the ICC programme. But, the lip service ends right there. During the past decade or more Sri Lanka cricket has not launched a serious development programme with a view to bringing our women’s cricket on par with the standards in England, Australia or India.
We argue if the authorities are not serious about the sustenance of the game, they might as well close shop, without trying to chop on what is left of that pitiful state of affairs.
Or else they also could clean up the stables. Take those responsible to task and launch an earnest programme aimed at developing women’s cricket and bringing it to the standards that we could compete with those top women’s cricketing nations.