Women's Cricket History: From 1745 to the ICC Women's World Cup and the Modern Era
Women's cricket has a recorded history dating to 1745 (a match in Surrey, England). The first Women's Test was played in 1934 (England vs Australia). The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup was first held in 1973 — two years before the men's World Cup in 1975. Rachel Heyhoe Flint was the driving force behind the women's game in England and the first women's cricketer inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. The 2017 Women's World Cup final at Lord's drew 26,500 — a record for women's cricket at the time.
Women's cricket has a recorded history dating to 1745, when a match between teams from Bramley and Hambledon, Surrey was documented in a local newspaper. The first Women's Test match was played in 1934 (England vs Australia in Brisbane). The first Women's Cricket World Cup was held in 1973 — two years before the first men's World Cup in 1975.
Rachel Heyhoe Flint and the Pioneer Era
Rachel Heyhoe Flint was England Women's captain from 1966 to 1977 and the architect of the first Women's Cricket World Cup in 1973. She organised, campaigned for sponsorship, and lobbied the ICC to support the tournament. She became the first women's cricketer inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame (2010). She was appointed MBE and later made a life peer (Baroness Heyhoe Flint). She scored 1,594 Women's Test runs at 45.54 with 3 centuries.
The Modern Era
The 2017 ICC Women's World Cup final at Lord's — England vs India — drew a crowd of 26,500 and an estimated 180 million TV viewers globally. England won by 9 runs. The Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) in Australia and The Hundred in England have significantly increased professional opportunities. Ellyse Perry (Australia) is widely regarded as the greatest women's cricketer in history — she has scored 1,500+ Women's Test runs and taken 300+ ODI wickets, and has played more than 250 international matches across all formats.
Frequently asked questions
What is the current state of pay and professional opportunities for women cricketers globally, and how does it compare to the men's game?
Women's cricket pay gap and professional development: current state (2024). Pay gap analysis: England (ECB): top women's central contracts pay approximately £45,000–£65,000 per year. Men's central contracts: £250,000–£900,000. Gap: approximately 10–15×. Australia (CA): Cricket Australia introduced the first women's central contracts in 2017. Top contracts now pay approximately A$120,000–A$180,000. Men's contracts: A$600,000–A$2,000,000. Gap: approximately 5–8×. India (BCCI): launched women's contracts in 2022 — A-grade contract approximately ₹50 lakh/year ($60,000). Men's A-grade: ₹7 crore/year ($840,000). Gap: approximately 14×. Structure of professional opportunities: the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL), The Hundred (England), SA Women's Premier League, and Women's Premier League (WPL, India — launched 2023 with ₹4.9 billion media rights sale over 5 years) have significantly increased professional playing opportunities. The 2023 WPL sold franchise rights for ₹4.7 billion — more than any other women's sports franchise in history. Trend: pay and professional opportunities have improved approximately 3–5× in all major cricket nations between 2015 and 2024. The direction is strongly positive, but the absolute gap remains substantial.