In India, it is no secret that most people tend to ignore women’s cricket and obsess over men’s cricket. From the men’s World Cup to the IPL, women’s cricket has hardly been awarded the praise and attention that it deserves.
However, female cricketers have continued to deliver amazing performances and achievements, most of which the general public doesn’t even know about! With the ICC Women’s World Cup underway, the Indian women’s cricket team gets another shot at becoming the World Champions.
The bets are pouring in on cricket betting sites, but with India’s performance in the World Cup so far, winning seems a difficult but possible outcome.
Whatever the outcome of this year’s women’s World Cup, it is important to take a look back at the various victories and achievements of the inspiring women that have played cricket in the past!
Here are 5 lesser-known facts about women’s cricket that will blow your mind!
1. The first World Cup was played by women!
Did you know that the world’s first world cup was played by women? Yes, that’s exactly right. In 1973, the world’s first World Cup took place, which was won by the host, England’s women’s cricket team against Australia.
The men’s World Cup only started two years after this legendary tournament!
2. A women’s cricket team made the highest runs in a match!
There are several records that that female cricket teams hold that have yet to be beaten by the men’s cricket teams. For instance, the highest tally of runs ever made in a match is a whopping 455 runs with a loss of 5 wickets. This record is held by the New Zealand women’s cricket team in a match against Pakistan!
The highest tally of runs achieved by any men’s cricket team is 444 runs, which was achieved by the England team against Pakistan (again)!
3. The youngest double century scorer is a woman!
The youngest cricketer to ever score a double century in a test match is New Zealand’s cricketer, Amelia Kerr. At the age of 17, she made a record high score of 232 runs, which is still a record that has not been beaten.
On the other hand, the men’s youngest double century scorer was the Pakistani cricketer, Javed Miandad, who achieved a double century at 19.
4. The first cricketer to score 200 runs in an ODI is also a woman!
Yes, unlike popular opinion, Sachin Tendulkar isn’t the first cricketer to have achieved the smashing score of 200 runs in a One Day International. It was actually Belinda Clark, an Australian cricketer, who scored 229 runs while playing against Denmark during the 1997 ICC Women’s World Cup!
5. 10 Wicket Haul and 100 Runs in a Single Test by a woman cricketer
In 1958, this Australian cricketer, Betty Wilson became the first player in either the men’s or women’s version of the sport to bag a 10-wicket haul and score over a hundred runs in the same Test match.
Loves all things female cricket