Written by Megan Taylor, sports reporter covering international sports since 2020
Women’s cricket growth is now moving faster than the men’s game in several regions, International Cricket Council chief executive Sanjog Gupta said after a record-breaking Women’s T20 World Cup in England.
The tournament ended five days before the first women’s Test at Lord’s between England and India, with Australia beating England by seven wickets in the final before a sellout crowd.
The surge also follows a busy period for the sport, including the International Cricket Council warning issued over the Ben Stokes retirement video, as cricket’s governing body manages growing attention across formats.
Women’s Game Hits New Heights
The Women’s T20 World Cup drew 245,815 spectators, more than 100,000 above the previous tournament record. The final at Lord’s attracted 28,887 fans and generated more than £1 million in ticket sales.
Sky Sports reported more than 15 million viewer hours in the United Kingdom. In India, more than 25 million watched India’s group-stage win over Pakistan on JioHotstar, producing 1.1 billion minutes of watch time.
Gupta said the shift is being felt far beyond England and India.
“Cricket is assuming cultural significance among women in certain countries like Brazil where football is really big,” he says. “Women gravitate towards cricket as a means of finding their own identity, and a platform for belonging.
International Cricket Council Plans Bigger Events
After expanding the Women’s T20 World Cup to 12 teams this summer, the International Cricket Council will increase the event to 16 teams in 2030. The first women’s Champions Trophy will also be played in Sri Lanka next year.
“We’ve seen every metric track significantly ahead of previous benchmarks,” Gupta says. “There’s been a big shift in mindsets all over the world and it’s era defining. Women’s World Cups now are as big for the Indian market as the 1983 World Cup was at that time for men’s cricket.”
Gupta also defended scheduling choices aimed at South Asian prime time.
“We’re trying to serve two worlds with all of our events - local and global.”
