Women's ODI Cricket: From Pioneers to Global Sport
How women's One Day International cricket grew from small, under-funded tournaments to a global competition with professional contracts and billions of viewers.
Women's cricket has been played for over 200 years — the first women's cricket club was formed in England in 1887, and women's Test cricket began in 1934. But for most of that history, the sport was under-funded, rarely broadcast, and largely invisible to mainstream cricket audiences. The transformation to a global, professional, broadcast women's game has happened primarily in the 2010s.
The Women's Cricket World Cup: Longer Than the Men's
Women's cricket has had a World Cup since 1973 — two years before the men's first World Cup in 1975. England won the inaugural Women's World Cup in 1973, in a tournament played in England. Australia have been the dominant force in Women's World Cups — winning seven of the tournament's twelve editions. The Women's World Cup has been played in 50-over format since 1997.
Belinda Clark: The First Women's Superstar
Belinda Clark of Australia — the first batsman, male or female, to score an ODI double century (229* against Denmark in 1997) — was the defining player of women's cricket's first broadcast generation. She averaged 45.38 in ODIs across a career that coincided with women's cricket's first meaningful television coverage in Australia. Her double century remains remarkable: scored at a time when women's ODI cricket received almost no resources or media coverage, on pitches and with equipment that were significantly below the standard her counterparts in men's cricket enjoyed.
The ICC's Investment and the Rise of Professionalism
The ICC's commitment from 2018 to professionalise women's cricket globally — through increased tournament prize money, broadcast deals for women's events, and development funding for associate women's programmes — accelerated a change that had been building for years. England's women's team moved to full-time professional contracts in 2014. Cricket Australia followed. The BCCI introduced WIPL (Women's IPL, now WPL) in 2023 — a franchise T20 league that attracted crowds of 10,000+ to matches in Indian stadiums.
Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, and the Modern Era
The current generation of women's cricketers — Smriti Mandhana (India), Ellyse Perry (Australia), Nat Sciver-Brunt (England), Sophie Devine (New Zealand), Meg Lanning (Australia) — are full-time professional athletes with global recognition. Perry's all-round career — over 5,000 runs and 300+ wickets in international cricket — is the finest all-round career in women's cricket and compares favourably with male all-rounders. Mandhana's stroke play, particularly her flicked boundaries and cover drives, draws comparisons with male contemporaries that would have seemed improbable in the 1990s.
Frequently asked questions
When did women's ODI cricket start?
Women's ODI cricket began formally with the Women's Cricket World Cup in 1973 — the first edition of any cricket World Cup, preceding the men's by two years. The format has been 50 overs per side since 1997. Women's ODIs received ICC status as official ODIs in 1997, giving them the same statistical standing as men's ODIs.
Who has won the most Women's Cricket World Cups?
Australia have won the Women's ODI World Cup seven times — more than any other nation. England and West Indies have each won three. New Zealand won the tournament in 2000 but have not won since, despite multiple near-misses. Australia's dominance mirrors their men's team's historical strength in 50-over cricket.
What is the Women's IPL?
The Women's Premier League (WPL) is India's professional women's T20 franchise league, launched by the BCCI in March 2023 with five franchises. Its first auction saw players sold for up to ₹3.4 crore (approximately USD 400,000) — the most any women's cricketer had earned from a single franchise contract. The WPL plays in Indian cities and has drawn large crowds, marking the most commercially significant development in women's cricket.