The growth of women’s cricket is a continuing story and the route to the sell-out crowds and global superstars we see now is winding. 
 
But the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup has so often been a turning point for the women’s game – just ask New Zealand, Pakistan and India. 
 
At three different tournaments, these countries experienced moments that created momentum, advanced change and ultimately led us to where we are now. 

 
For Urooj Mumtaz and Pakistan, the 2009 World Cup in Australia kickstarted a revolution in women’s cricket. 
 
Urooj captained her side as they made their first appearance at an ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup for 12 years, leading them to their first-ever win over Sri Lanka. 
 
That was enough to see them through to the Super Six, where victory over the West Indies garnered national attention back home. 

 
“When we managed to beat the West Indies, that’s when the news started flowing because at that time it wasn’t on TV and there was no social media,” she recalled. 
 
“It was on mainstream news, so when we landed at the airport, there were a few hundred people out there with flowers and drums and obviously family and friends. There was sort of a party around the airport. 
 
“There were multiple TV interviews lined up, mornings shows would want us on TV, so I really thought that was when women’s cricket took off from there. 
 

“It was just the awareness of it, people knowing that women’s cricket does exist and there is a team. It just felt like the start of good things to happen. 
 
“Suddenly the word was out that there’s a women’s team and it has just done really well at the World Cup.” 
 
Urooj’s cricketing journey started at the Karachi Gymkhana Club aged seven, where she progressed through the age groups to captain the under-17 boys’ side – throughout her junior days, she was the only girl. 

 
Since then, she has led an all-female selection panel for the women’s national team and made history as the first Pakistani woman to commentate on a men’s ODI. 
 
Four years earlier, India opener Jaya Sharma was enjoying a similar experience as the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2005 took place in South Africa. 
 

India reached their first final before finishing runners-up to Australia, with the Women in Blue trying something new in the build-up to the tournament. 
 
Sharma, who knows works in mind conditioning in sport, said: “That [the 2005 World Cup] was something we all as a whole squad can’t forget because that was, I think, a turning point in women’s cricket in India.
 
“Most importantly, because there were not many resources, there was not the infrastructure that is present now. We had a bunch of 30 players, and we were preparing for this World Cup for two years.

“The main focus was on the fitness part, which wasn’t always the case, and I think it helped us to understand our fitness levels.

 
“We went up to a very great level in terms of fitness and we started performing well, and I think the best thing that happened to that team is we clicked as a unit.
 
“When we beat New Zealand in the semi-finals, people started to take notice that something was happening because they were the defending champions. People started to realise that the Indian women’s cricket team is doing something.” 
 
For New Zealand, it was not about making people aware of the team. As the hosts of the tournament in 2000, they knew that eyes would be on them – it was about proving them wrong. 

 
Someone pivotal to that was wicketkeeper Rebecca Rolls, a dual international in football, who took the final catch to defeat Australia by just four runs and earn New Zealand their first, and so far only, World Cup. 
 
Rolls remembered: “In terms of the New Zealand public, I guess that they probably go too easy on us generally. 
 
“There probably was an expectation that we will get tipped over in the final against Australia and that Australia would win because they’d beaten us in the first round and maybe we had done pretty well to get to the final.  

 
“From the semi-finals onwards it was televised, which was a first in New Zealand. Before that, I don’t think we had any other games televised apart from a couple of clips on the news if a cameraman came along.” 
 
Rolls hung up her cricketing gloves in 2007 before making a return to goalkeeping in football, since when she has watched with affection the growth of the women’s game around the world. 
 
“The game has marched on, particularly in the last five or 10 years, which has been amazing to see,” she said. “Finally it has been invested in and valued for the product that it is.
 

“No one is comparing it to the men’s game and looking at excuses as to why it shouldn’t be on the same stage. 
 
“Then, on the other hand, cricket itself doesn’t change a whole lot. It sounds weird because the format changes we’ve had but there’s still a lot of the thought process that we had 20-odd years ago, and a lot of the strategy and mental toughness   
 
“The window dressing has changed and that’s great because now people are really getting into it. It warms my heart.” 

The Pakistan Cricket Board will use the popularity and reach of the HBL Pakistan Super League to create awareness about breast and childhood cancer as part of its social corporate responsibility in the seventh edition of the tournament that starts from 27 January.

The two initiatives have turned into a HBL PSL tradition since the PCB first marked the Pink Ribbon Day during the 2018 edition, while the Golden Ribbon Day was organised in the 2019 edition.

On 4 February, the day when Karachi Kings play Peshawar Zalmi, PCB will mark Pink Ribbon Day and the National Stadium in Karachi will turn pink to create awareness about breast cancer. The contesting teams will don pink caps and ribbons and awareness messages will be displayed inside the stadium.

The Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators players will wear golden caps and ribbons on 15 February to mark Golden Ribbon Day to create awareness about childhood cancer. The Gaddafi Stadium, the home of Pakistan cricket, will turn golden and the teams will present signed shirts to two cancer patients from a safe distance. Awareness messages about childhood cancer will be displayed inside the stadium.

PCB Chief Operating Office and HBL PSL Tournament Director Salman Naseer: “The HBL PSL has emerged as the biggest Pakistani brand and we have decided to use its reach once again to create awareness about the breast and childhood cancer.

“Cricket is the most followed sport in the country and it unites and binds our people together. As in the past, the PCB will continue to make its efforts to create awareness about the challenges our society face.”

Manchester: World champions to play two T20Is and three ODIs; T20Is will be played as double-headers alongside the men’s teams on 14 and 15 October in Karachi

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) today confirmed that England Women will tour Pakistan in October, taking part in two IT20s and three ODIs.

Heather Knight’s team will be making their first-ever trip to Pakistan, and will be alongside the England Men’s white-ball team, with the two IT20s played as double-headers in Karachi on 14 and 15 October.

England Women will then stay in Karachi to compete in three ODIs on 18, 20 and 22 October.

ECB Managing Director of Women’s Cricket, Clare Connor, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be making this historic announcement today. The England Women’s cricket team has never toured Pakistan before so this is another important step in our history and journey.

“Not only will this be a cricket tour that provides valuable competitive opportunity to both teams, it should also serve as another powerful and positive message as we drive forward our equality ambitions for more women and girls to derive empowerment through the sport.

“I was in Pakistan last year and I know the impact that a women’s tour such as this can have and how memorable an experience it will be for our players and staff.”

PCB Chief Executive, Wasim Khan, said: “World champions England accompanying their men’s side for their first-ever tour to Karachi is an extremely powerful and strong announcement for Pakistan, our women’s cricketers as well as for the global sport.

“This announcement reflects the confidence, trust and relationship the PCB enjoys with the England and Wales Cricket Board, and is an acknowledgement for the successful delivery of international and domestic cricket in the challenging and difficult 2020.

“Women’s T20Is taking place before the men’s matches at the iconic National Stadium will mean more eyeballs will follow these matches than ever before. While this presents a great opportunity for the PCB to showcase the image and profile of women’s cricket, it is a chance for the women cricketers to demonstrate their talent and skills, and play their part in attracting, inspiring and motivating the next generation of women cricketers so that they can also fall in love with this great sport.

“The three ODIs against the world champions will assist the Pakistan women’s side to access, gauge and fine-tune their ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 preparations as they aim to produce improved performances than in the past.

“Like the England men’s side, I am confident the women’s tour will open up opportunities for their future tours that will further contribute in promoting women’s cricket in Pakistan and helping our national side to narrow the gap with the leading nations.”

Series schedule

15 October: 2nd IT20, National Stadium, Karachi

18 October: 1st ODI, National Stadium, Karachi

20 October: 2nd ODI, National Stadium, Karachi

22 October: 3rd ODI, National Stadium, Karachi

Lahore:Women’s cricket in Pakistan continued to evolve in 2019. Pakistan national women’s team reached new heights and the Pakistan Cricket Board undertook major initiatives to promote the game amongst young potential cricketers.

Pakistan reached the fourth spot in the 50-over ICC Women’s Championship after securing astonishing series win against West Indies women earlier in the year and securing a 1-1 tie against South Africa in an away series.

Their year had started off by hosting West Indies in Karachi for a three-match series and later in the year Bangladesh women toured Lahore for three T20Is, which Pakistan won 3-0, and a two-match ODI series that ended in a draw.

Pakistan hosted England women in Malaysia for the seventh round fixtures of the ICC Women’s Championship and three T20Is. Though, the Bismah Maroof-led side lost both series, the team showed marked improvement in their performances in all three facets.

The PCB awarded better-paying and improved central contracts to women cricketers to narrow the gap between men and women cricketers. In a bid to take women’s cricket to every corner of the country, the PCB continued to expand the network of girl’s academies across the country, while organising domestic tournaments regularly to gauge the talent pool.

The PCB, for the preparation of the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in 2021, staged Skills 2 Shine U18 Women’s Cricket T20 Championship and a pool of best performing 25 players is undergoing an academy programme in Karachi.

Pakistan national women’s team captain Bismah Maroof, while reviewing her side’s performances, said: “Overall, it has been a very good year for women’s cricket in Pakistan. Our year started off by hosting West Indies in Karachi for a T20I series. There were some nerves because we hadn’t played in our own country for a long time and we couldn’t put up a good show in the first T20I.

“We sat as a group and discussed how important it is to put up good performances to enhance the profile of women’s cricket, which resulted in outstanding performances.

“The South Africa tour was a confidence booster for the whole side. We performed in both batting and bowling departments and tied the ODI series there.

“We hosted Bangladesh in Lahore and did brilliantly in that series. Our year concluded with the England series in which we did not put up a good show. But, we have shown a lot of improvement in this series. And, that we are currently ranked fourth in ICC Women’s Championship is because of the hard work our team has put in.

“We play T20 World Cup next year and we are hopeful that we will be able to end in top four.”

Asmavia Iqbal, member national women’s selection committee, said: “There have been many positives both on and off the field in women’s cricket this year. The PCB has undertaken many development programmes and the team has also shown marked improvement in performances.

“The zonal academies have started to function regularly because of which our girls are practicing round the clock. The girls now have separate facilities where they are getting nurtured under top coaches and undergo the training same as the Pakistan national women’s team, which has enhance the skill-level of our up-and-coming cricketers. This was missing when I started off as a player.

“The PCB organised an U18 tournament and our emerging team recently featured in the Asia Cup. We have had domestic tournaments organised on regular basis this year. This has played a crucial role in developing game-awareness amongst girls. Many girls have made international debuts this year.”

MULTAN: Pakistan Women cricket coach Mark Coles says there is no dearth of female sporting talent in the country and the best coaching can groom talent and improve the team’s ranking.

Talking to the media here, Coles said that he was very happy to be coaching Pakistan Women cricket team.

On the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka, he said that he was striving hard with the cricketers and that he would be moving forward with new talent.

To a query, he observed that there was a need to pay more attention to fielding and batting.

Shahid Aslam, senior manager women cricket, informed that the Pakistan Cricket Board was bringing a five-year plan to promote women cricket.

He added that women cricket would be introduced at school and college level, and expressed hope that such measures would help boost women cricket in the country.

Lahore:PCB has appointed Mr. Mark Coles as head-coach Pakistan’s women cricket team for two years. Mark Coles had worked with Pakistan’s women team during Pakistan vs New Zealand women series in the UAE, recently.

Mark Coles brief sporting history:

Mark was a member of the Wellington squad in 1992 and played six ‘A’ list games for Wellington. He had worked as an assistant coach with New Zealand ‘A’ Women’s team in year 2000 and recently with Pakistan’s women team in the UAE. He also coached the Wellington Blaze to a T20 title in 2013, as well as being part of the Northern Districts High Performance coaching staff from 2014.