Changing face of Cricket-It's not IPL!!
The Wisden Cricketer of the year is the honour given by the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanac to cricketeras for their influence on the game. This has featured the likes of Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Garfield Sobers, Shane Warne, Sir Vivian Richards, Sir W.G.Grace and many other greats that graced the game. But this prestigious list had never featured the fairer sex in its 120 year history. Call it chauvinism or the poor popularity of women’s cricket or the utter dominance of the men’s game.
For the first time in 120 years of the Wisden Cricketer of the year a female cricketer by the mane of Claire Taylor was added to the list. Considering that the Women’s game was the first to come up with the concept of the cricket world cup this sound pretty amusing. These matches are played in the same fearsome manner in which the men’s game is played. Its not that there is no competition in the women’s game or there is any lack of drama, the game isn’t popularized to the level of the men’s game. Never have the people been excited to watch the fairer sex play the beautiful game.
That may be changing. The inclusion of a female in the Wisden Cricketer of the year list is just one signal. The merging of the women’s game with the International Cricket Council (ICC) is another step in the right direction. Wisden has realized the importance of women’s cricket as has ICC and it will not be long that the entire cricket fraternity will cheer for both the men’s and the women’s game in equal respect.
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