New Delhi, July 22: Women cricketers will get to experience the vibe of a multi-sporting event for the very first time as the sport hopes to generate global eyeballs when it returns to the Commonwealth Games after 24 long years.
With all top cricketing nations part of the Commonwealth, cricket’s inclusion in the Birmingham Games appears natural but it still took more than two decades for the sport to make a comeback.
The only other time cricket featured in the Commonwealth Games was in Kuala Lumpur in 1998 when the men’s competition was staged.
The International Cricket Council (ICC), which is pushing for the game’s inclusion in the 2028 Olympics, will be hoping that the women’s cricket event is a roaring success in Birmingham so that it has a stronger pitch to make for the Summer Games in Los Angeles.
With the Indian and Pakistan diaspora forming a large part of Birmingham’s population, one can expect a sell out crowd at the Edgbaston for the marquee clashes, including the Indo-Pak contest on July 31.
Though England and Australia are not in the same group, the fans are expecting them to meet in the knock-out stages with the tickets already sold out for the semi-finals and final.
The players, including the Indians, who are usually confined to their hotels during their bilateral contests, are looking forward to interacting with athletes of other sports.
The cricketers will not be housed in the Games Village along with the rest of the international athletes during their stay due to logistical reasons, but they will certainly be part of the opening ceremony and watch a sport of their choice in their downtime.
“I am really excited about the Commonwealth Games. For me it is like competing in a World Cup. I have been preparing it for a long time now,” top India all-rounder Deepti Sharma said.
The eight participating teams are divided into groups of four. Group A includes India, Pakistan, Australia and Barbados while Group B comprises England, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka.
The competition will also give a strong indication on where all teams stand ahead of the T20 World Cup next year.
As the reigning world champions in T20 and ODI cricket, Australia have been the benchmark for a while now. England are a tad behind their arch-rivals while the likes of India, New Zealand and South Africa are very much a work in progress. Over the last couple of years, India lost four series in a row before winning one against an under-prepared Sri Lanka last month. (PTI)
