England won a fourth World Cup title after beating India in dramatic fashion. (Source: Reuters)
The recently concluded ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 has been a revelation on multiple fronts. The quality of cricket that was on display showed that women’s cricket, that has taken a backseat to its men’s counterpart for much of its history, has truly come to the fore. It also announced India’s arrival on the big stage in women’s cricket.
According to reports a record 1.1 million tuned in from UK alone to view the final that was played between India and England. Reports also state that this figure is equal to the average audience that tunes in to watch the wildly popular Premier League’s Sunday afternoon matches, according to statistics from the Broadcasters Audience Research Board. According to The Times, 150 million watched at least part of the summit clash between India and England. The ICC had also recently revealed that he global audience for group matches was between 50 and 80 percent higher than the last World Cup.
India lost the final at Lord’s in dramatic fashion, handing England a fourth World Cup title. Chasing 219, India were cruising at 191 for the loss of three wickets in the 42nd over. From there, though, England fought back and ensured that India lost their next seven wickets for less than 30 runs. Anya Shrubsole took six wickets in the match and England won by nine runs. Despite the loss, the tournament is seen as a revelation for women’s cricket in the country with the likes of Harmanpreet Kaur, Punam Raut and Smriti Mandhana showcasing their quality. There have been calls for the BCCI to conduct a women’s IPL since the end of a tournament.
