The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) organized three Women’s Exhibition matches in March 2023 with the aim of launching the inaugural edition of a Women’s Franchise tournament in Pakistan. Players like Laura Wolvaardt, Chamari Athapaththu, Danielle Wyatt-Hodge, Lea Tahuhu, etc., were involved in the exhibition matches. Amazons and Super Women were the two teams involved in the exhibition matches.
“Playing alongside the top players made me feel like a different player in the middle; it boosted my confidence.” Iram Javed speaks about the significance of playing alongside international stars in a franchise-like environment.
Multiple countries already have a domestic franchise league of their own, such as the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) in Australia, the Women’s Hundred in England, the Women’s Premier League (WPL) in India, and the Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) in the West Indies.
The Pakistan Women’s team, led by skipper Fatima Sana, had a disappointing campaign in the recently concluded 9th edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the UAE. Placed in Group A alongside the likes of India, Australia, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka, they suffered another league-stage exit as they just managed a solitary victory against Sri Lanka in the first match of their campaign.
“If we are given league opportunities, we too can reach international standards.” Iram Javed speaks about how having a local franchise tournament could potentially play an instrumental role in helping the Pakistan women’s cricket team to compete against the best teams in the world and in raising the standards of their game at the international level.
The kind of dominance and brand of cricket adopted by Australia, making them a formidable side with an aura of invincibility, is a by-product of the success of their domestic franchise tournament, i.e., the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), over the years. The tournament has not only helped Australia to unearth local talent, forming a bigger pool of players, but also has groomed them to be ready to represent the senior Australian side at the international level.
Domestic players benefit the most from the presence of a local franchise tournament, allowing them to play and share the dressing room with some of the best players in the world. The exchange of wisdom and experience plays a crucial role in shaping the game of young players, also providing a platform for them to showcase their talent.
India’s second appearance in an ICC Women’s ODI World Cup in 2017, in which they ended up as runners-up after a narrow defeat to England, fueled calls for the inception of a women’s franchise league in India, which was eventually launched as the Women’s Premier League (WPL) in 2023. Many players who impressed with their skills in the WPL have gone on to play for the senior Indian women’s team at the international level.
“Such initiative would provide Pakistani women cricketers with valuable experience.” Iram Javed calls for the launch of a women’s version of the franchise tournament in Pakistan. As per recent developments in August earlier this year, the PCB announced their decision to assign mentors to the team to accelerate the development of players at the domestic level. The 32-year-old middle-order batter Iram Javed also voiced her opinion, favoring having a mentor traveling with the side.
(Quotes sourced from International, The News).
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