Any game flourishes with something that takes the game to masses. It takes something miraculous, something acrobatic to take a sport to the people. Past narrates such stories where the rise of a game has been facilitated by a point where new stars and new sensations are born and emerge.
One such incident has been Kapil Dev and Indian cricket post-1983. A miraculous win at the world cup made the whole nation believe in themselves. From Kapil, the baton passed on to legends like Sachin and Dhoni. The game is India’s religion with billion devotees. Women cricket has grown significantly over the past decade and has gained a substantial following among masses. However, more on the lines of male counterparts, this growth has been limited to mainstream major cricketing nations including Indian sub-continent and other permanent faces in ICC.
Nonetheless, associate members like Afghanistan and Nepal have earned loads of praise and have a wonderful chance to get their backyards full of next-generation stars. One such country that will look to replicate the Afghan model of dawn will be Thailand women cricket team. The team is scheduled to face mighty sides in the upcoming T20 world cup where they would be tested on the platform and in a manner that would be unprecedented.
However, with a bigger platform, comes better opportunities and, in those opportunities, the best stars are born. Share on X
Adversity gets the best out of an individual and it is no exaggeration to expect that eyes from all parts of the world will be glued on Australia. Thailand will have no better stage to mark their presence on the bigger stage. With the tournament being played in the shortest format of the game, Thai women will find it easier to try and hold on to key moments and have their opponents down.
Moreover, the cricketing trends in the ICC events from past events have indicated that no team can be kept out of contestation. Ireland always comes closer to England and Afghanistan never lets batting team rest. In the cricketing terms, surprisingly, the victory for the Thai team will get registered as an “upset”. It would be appropriate to say that upsets like these have taken games to new ranches and streets throughout the globe. For players who will be passionately representing Thailand in the global event and for all the fans would cheer for Thai women, the tournament signifies a find or a journey to find the best.
They shall look to give their best and earn a memory or a result which gives them the slightest of confidence. Seeing individuals bringing fame to the nation and themselves, many Thai women shall break the boundaries and hold a bat in their hands. Thai women team will need a shero from the tournament to bring some upsets to the world and joy to themselves. It has to be noted that although the stage is set for Thailand to outperform the heavyweights, they should not fall upon the pressure of the ICC event and focus on their game only. A structural push in the society towards a cricketing culture would need Thailand to leave a mark in the tournament.
A student who enjoys studying cricket more than anything else, keen to learn the insights of the women’s game.
