Women made to feel grateful for progress but still so much to be done to reach equity: Isa Guha
May 23, 2021
New Delhi [India], May 23 : On a day when it came to the fore that the Indian women's team hasn't yet received the prize money from BCCI after finishing runners-up in the 2020 ICC T20 World Cup, former England cricketer Isa Guha spoke about the disparities in men's and women's cricket.
Isa said there is still a long road ahead for the women players to receive equal treatment in the game of cricket and pointed out the need for Players Associations.
"Women are made to feel grateful for progress but there is still so much to be done to reach equity (& that isn't just equal pay). Players associations are a vital part of reaching this. India women will dominate the world stage when as much thought goes into the their game as the men," said Isa in a tweet.
"While the men are at a different level there are still base level equities in player welfare. Things like payment/contract times, well-being support networks, domestic structure prof support, maternity provisions, retirement planning are all things can be gained from having a pa," she added.
Meanwhile, speaking to ANI on the situation, a senior BCCI official said that the payments should be completed by the coming week. "The process had already been on and the funds should be transferred in the coming week. Yes, there was a slight delay and the Covid-19 situation further delayed the process, but there shouldn't be any further delays," the official said.
Australia had defeated India in the final of ICC T20 World Cup by 85 runs to win its fifth Women's T20 World Cup title. Before this edition, Australia had won the tournament in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2018.
However, teen sensation Shafali Verma emerged as a household name for India during the Women's T20 World Cup. Her exploits with the bat enabled India to win the group stage matches. The then 16-year-old also rose to the number one spot in the ICC Women's T20I batting rankings during the tournament.
In the summit clash, Shafali created a record as soon as she stepped onto the park as she became the youngest cricketer ever to play a cricket World Cup final. Shafali finished the tournament with 163 runs from six matches and was seen in tears when India ended up losing the final of the Women's T20 World Cup.
The final match between India and Australia witnessed the highest attendance for women's cricket globally as 86,174 people attended the ICC Women's T20 World Cup final at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The final also witnessed the highest attendance for a women's sporting event in Australia.
