Why should women cricket get more recognition?
Cricket has always been dominated by male cricketers and women cricketers have not received their share of recognition. However, women cricketers have set some amazing records which the men have taken a lot of time to achieve or are yet to achieve. Let us have a look at some of such feats and why women's cricket needs more recognition.
First cricketer to get 100+runs and 10-wickets in a test
In 1958, Australia's Betty Wilson became the first cricketer to score a century and pick up 10-wickets in a test match. She scored a century and also picked up 11-wickets for just 16 runs. In men's cricket, Alan Davidson achieved the feat in 1960.
The highest team score and the biggest win margin
New Zealand women's cricket team is the first one to score 400-plus runs in an ODI innings. They achieved this feat in 1997, 9 years before it was achieved in men's cricket. In the match against Pakistan, they scored 455 runs for five wickets. Skipper Maia Lewis scored her maiden century as they defeated Pakistan by 408 runs, a record yet to be broken.
Men yet to reach the 450-run mark
While men have managed to put on 400-plus scores on the board 18-times since 2006, they are yet to touch the 450-run mark, a feat achieved in women's cricket in 1997. The highest score in men's cricket is 444 achieved by England against Pakistan.
The first double hundred in ODI cricket
Australia's Belinda Clark, and not Sachin Tendulkar, is the first player to score a double ton in ODI cricket. During the 1997 Women's Cricket World Cup, Belinda hit unbeaten 229 runs from a mere 145 balls against Denmark at Sachin's birthplace Mumbai. Her mammoth innings helped Australia to score 412 runs for three wickets.
Youngest player to score a century
In less than two years after Shahid Afridi became the youngest player to score a century in ODIs, Indian women's team captain Mithali Raj broke the record when she scored her maiden hundred in June 1999. Mithali was 16 years 205 days, while Afridi was 16 years and 217 days. This record is yet to be broken by men.
Most economical 10-over spell
Pakistan's Khursheed Jabeen wrote history when she picked up three wickets for 2 runs in her 10-over spell, against Japan women in 2003, at an economy rate of 0.20 and an average of 0.66.
The youngest ever ODI captain
In 2001, England's Arran Brindle aka Arran Thompson was handed captaincy of their national women's cricket team while she was just 19-years and 260-days old. She led her team to a massive 238-run win over Scotland in her debut match as a captain. Bangladesh's Rajin Saleh became the youngest captain in men's ODI , when he was handed the captaincy before he turned 21.
Australia women ahead of men's cricket team
The Australian women's team is way ahead than any other men's cricket team in terms of World Cups won. They have lifted the trophy a record seven times. Their male counterparts have done it five times till now, the most by any men's cricket team. However, both the Australian teams share a record of winning the title three-consecutive times.
