Delegates meet to discuss women's cricket

Indian, Pakistani and Sri Lankan officials met in Lahore on October 18 to try and establish a joint venture to popularise and enhance women's cricket. All three members of the ICC gave reports of their domestic and international situations and evaluated their present standard.

Shubangi Kulkarni, the Asian ICC representative and president of Women's Cricket of India, firmly believes that the problem exists at the grassroots level, with too little cricket being played in cities, towns and universities across the sub-continent. She cited the example of teams such as New Zealand and Australia who have structured domestic and international seasons with ample scope for women cricketers to perform.

Indian women's cricket gained significance after its team ended as runner-up in the World Cup earlier this year. Kulkarni also gave the example of the Asia Cup and how it could turn into an annual event to rev up interest.

Dr. Mira Phailbus, president of Pakistan Women's Cricket, sounded the same beat as her Indian counterpart. "We have to go step by step to reach where India is today and we are mapping out strategies how best this can be done," she was quoted as saying byThe Daily News, a Sri Lankan daily. "Hosting the Asia Cup is a memorable event for beginners like us."

Each country had their own individual problems, with a lack of funds being the common concern. Gwen Herat, president of the Women's Cricket Association of Sri Lanka (WCASL), informed officials of the Pakistan Cricket Board that it is the responsibility of the respective countries' men's boards to develop women's cricket in the Asia region. She explained briefly the domestic structure of the game that the WCASL has initiated in schools, with assigned coaches for training, and hopes that sponsors such as Singer would show interest. "We lack the much-needed inter-club programme because of lack of funds, an area of grave importance. If we can get these two schedules going, it will add more clout to women's cricket future."

All three representatives stated that they are focused on the next World Cup in four years as a benchmark for the women's game.