Cricket has traditionally been seen as a "male" sport, despite the fact that women have played the game for just as long as men.

In 1963, England captain Len Hutton famously said during a charity match against a women’s side that women playing cricket was "absurd, like a man trying to knit." Had he been alive today, he would have been surprised by the growth of women's cricket over the past few years.

It's so surprising that it was the women's World Cup that showed the path to the men's World Cup. The first ever Cricket World Cup was played by women in the summer of 1973, two years before the men’s version.

India women's cricket team came firmly under limelight when they finished as runners-up in the 2017 ODI World Cup, and even defeated Australia in the semi-final. They went on to be runners- up in the 2020 T20 World Cup and took the silver medal in the Women's T20 Cricket event at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games last year.

The year 2023 started on big achievement for India’s U19 Women’s team when they beat England in the final of ICC Under 19 Womens T20 World Cup 2023. The senior team also performers well but they lost to Australia in the semi-final of ICC Womens T20 World Cup 2023.

The BCCI and ICC have played an intrumental role in the transformation of women’s cricket. The exhibition fixtures of women’s cricket clubbed as double headers for IPL laid the foundation for the growth of the sport.

The inaugural edition of Women’s IPL (WPL) has been a resounding success and it’s seen as a building up step to Women’s T20 league. It’s marked by passionate crowds, stellar performances

- including the historic five-wicket haul from American born quick Tara Norris - and global coverage beaming matches into households worldwide. Many players who participated in the league have gone on to represent their national teams and have become household names.

The WPL has been hailed a game-changer for women's cricket with top players earned as much as $400,000 from the three-week tournament. This has also inspired a lot of young girls to take up the sport, providing a pathway for future talent.

The growth and popularity of Women’s cricket is not limited to India but its it has a global appeal.The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 was the most watched ICC women’s event to date with global viewing hours for the event reaching 192 million, a 44% increase from the 2020 World Cup in Australia highlighting the continued and growing appetite for women’s cricket in line with

the ICC’s strategic priority. The event has created a long-term legacy for women’s cricket in South Africa, inspiring a new generation of girls and boys to pick up a bat and ball.

This was highlighted by the broadcast figures in the host nation, which saw a 130% increase in live coverage, including the final - involving South Africa for the first time in an ICC event, men’s or women’s, which was available on free-to-air television.

The overall viewership figures for the event shattered past records with an increase of 790% of fans tuning in to enjoy the World Cup compared to the previous edition in 2020.

The popularity of women's cricket can be concluded from the following statement by former Pakistan' women's captain Urooj Mumtaz:

"There were multiple TV interviews lined up; morning shows would want us on TV, so I really thought that was when women’s cricket took off from there. "

The ICC has proposed six-team T20 events for both men and women at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. It’s time to build up on the growth path, and let’s hope to see cricket jostling with baseball-softball, lacrosse, kickboxing, squash, and flag football, among others, as a medal sport in big multi-sport tournaments.

How fantastic is it that women's cricket has skyrocketed in popularity, captivating fans and bettors from all corners of the globe! And here's where fast withdrawal bookies come into play, adding that extra dash of excitement to the betting experience. 

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The future of Women’s cricket looks bright.