ICC Women’s World Cup T20: England wants to emulate lions and encourage more women and girls to play cricket ahead of tournament | Cricket news
Women’s cricket is booming. But the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup this summer will bring more eyes to the game.
The growth of the women’s game in the UK and around the world has been astronomical over the past few years, especially after England’s victory in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2017.
Nat Sciver-Brunt’s side are delighted to be able to follow in the footsteps of their 2017 champions as they begin their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup campaign this week.
England will face Sri Lanka at Edgbaston at 6.30pm on Friday, live on Sky Sports.
The match will mark the start of an amazing summer, and one that England hope will encourage more girls and women to take up cricket.
“The 2017 Women’s World Cup has had an impact on the growth of domestic cricket in our country, and I am thinking of participating,” said England captain Charlie Dean.
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Highlights from Cardiff, where England beat India by five runs in their final warm-up match for the Women’s World T20
“It was a great moment for me to watch. I felt inspired by the players to pursue cricket and really fight.
“I think if we can be that for any girls or boys watching, then it’s a big time for us.”
For Charlotte Edwards’ team, it’s also a big chance to end a 17-year wait to end the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup trophy drought, with England determined to come into the tournament, following two T20 series victories against defending world champions New Zealand and India.
“We want to do well and really connect with the fans on and off the field, because it’s a great opportunity,” said Dean.
Why is it so important to get young girls playing cricket?
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Nasser Hussain admits he is happy with England’s win over New Zealand but he is not getting carried away ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Sky Sports’ Game Changing Report 2025 revealed that girls aged between 11 and 18 in the UK miss out on 280 million hours of play each year, compared to boys.
That’s an astronomical figure, but if that gap is closed, it could unlock £6.5bn in economic and health benefits by 2035.
Sky Sports research also suggests that playing sport can be a strong predictor of women reaching senior positions such as university degrees.
As part of the survey, 55 percent of girls said watching professional athletes motivates them to play sports, which is why the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup is so important.
Hussain: The Lord’s Test match will continue with momentum
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Watch the best shots from Alice Capsey’s innings against Australia in the World Cup warm-up match in Cardiff
It is also important that the story continues after this year’s ICC Women’s World Cup final at Lord’s on July 5, to maintain engagement with fans and those new to the game.
A week after the start of the World Cup match, England will make history and play against India in the first ever women’s test match to be held at Lord’s.
After that, The Vitality Blast Women continues until the end of July before The Hundred begins on July 21. England also have a tough schedule in 2027, with the ICC Women’s Champions Trophy starting in June in Sri Lanka, before the Women’s Ashes in July.
“I was here in 2017 with my daughter’s team, and it was a good story,” said former England captain and Sky Sports Cricket commentator Nasser Hussain.
“Two things about that is that the story ended then, and we wanted more. The other thing is that a lot of women and little girls would go that day thinking: ‘Cricket is cool’, and it happened.
“My daughter and her team went. They went: ‘Cricket is really cool. I want to play cricket’.”
More than 20,000 tickets have been sold for India’s Test match at Lord’s, showing how much demand there is to see Edwards’ team in action.
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“I don’t think there is enough Test match cricket played in the women’s game,” Hussain added. “But to have a Test match, India and England, to be here at Lord’s, the crowd will come in large numbers for that; it keeps the momentum going.
“Sometimes you have these big tournaments, and then they stop, and people go: ‘What’s next?’
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“After that you have The Hundred, which was very important in the women’s game, but it keeps the story going.
“Maybe when Heather Knight lifted the trophy here in 2017, it was a great story, but it ended instantly. This summer, we have the ICC T20 Women’s World Cup, we have the Lord’s Test and we got The Hundred.
“Can you imagine being a lady playing a test game of King and India, everyone coming in, hoping to fill the gates?”
Farrant: England’s role models encourage people to play
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Simon Doull takes a closer look at England’s spin options for the Women’s T20 World Cup in June
Former England skipper and Sky Sports Cricket commentator Tash Farrant believes the likes of Lauren Bell and Nat Sciver-Brunt can also help raise the game’s profile this summer.
Farrant added that other role models and stars in the England squad, including the likes of Lauren Bell and captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, will also help raise the profile of the women’s game this summer.
“And with household names like Lauren Bell – she has over two million followers on social media, Nat Sciver-Brunt – the best runner in the world.
“For me, it’s about developing the icons of the game, and you’ll have young girls who see these professionals and realize: ‘I want to be them’. There is a real career path in cricket, so that’s what I did.”
Dean: We want to emulate the Red Roses and the Lions
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England are hoping to emulate the reigning Women’s Rugby World Cup champions, the Red Roses, and UEFA Women’s European Championship winners, the Lionesses, as they begin their ICC Women’s World Cup T20 campaign.
“Last summer was a big one for Women’s sports. To have the chance to repeat that is great,” said Dean.
“The Red Roses played well last year and have continued their form.
“The following and growth of the women’s game is huge. The Lionesses are probably as high as the biggest sports teams in the world, and if we can follow in their footsteps and encourage girls to play and enjoy sports, that’s what we want to do.”
Everyone can stream all the 12-team matches including England, Scotland and Ireland, as well as the semi-finals and final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup live for FREE on the Sky Sports App.
All you have to do is download the latest version of the Sky Sports app on your phone or tablet and sign in.
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Watch all the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup exclusively live on Sky Sports and NOW, starting with England vs Sri Lanka at Edgbaston on Friday, June 12.
