Why Test Twenty will be good for the women’s game

 

Test Twenty
Test Twenty (PC: Test Twenty/X)

Anyone who is watching the Asia Cup will know why I am saying what I am in this piece. The gap between the women’s teams in Asia is constantly widening and such a thing can’t be good for the sport. You can’t enjoy a one sided Indian wins time and again and the contests are losing charm and steam. This is because the access and support in some of the other countries aren’t as much and the youth don’t really have the opportunity to get better and match the Indians.

That’s where Test Twenty format can help them. It is a format that is most likely to be played in Sri Lanka in November for its inaugural season and will have a mix of athletes from across the world playing in teams, which have an equal representation of women and men. Imagine Sri Lankan women between the ages of 13-21 playing with their Indian counterparts in one team and sharing the same change room. It is bound to help Sri Lankan cricket going forward. With coaches like Raj Kumar Sharma in the mix, these players will have access to the best coaching and talent management on offer. And it can open up renewed career opportunities for them, which they may have given up on.

The game needs to be competitive. It needs to be an equal playing field of sorts in terms of opportunity and aspiration and that’s what this new format has set out to achieve. With equality and parity at its core, it has its heart in the right place. And if there was ever any doubt why the time is now, the Asia Cup is an example. You need other teams to get better and be more competitive. You need other Asian women to feel they too have a chance. You need them to play with the Indians and believe that cricket is indeed a career for them as well.

From an investment standpoint, it is this aspect of the competition that makes it attractive for brands. For any company that has interests across Asia or in Europe for example, Test Twenty lends itself as an opportunity. Being played in Sri Lanka, one of the best investment destinations in Asia, it will certainly be value for money. Making significant social impact while also getting real value for investment is a rare combination and this is a format that lends itself to both. It is time for the first ball to be bowled and the umpires to call play.

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