Historic win

Women’s excellent performance will serve to justify decision to expand central contract system

The women’s national cricket team made history this week with a series win against New Zealand, as they took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. The two wins are also the first two times the Pakistan women’s team has beaten New Zealand, and a sweep remains possible if they stay in form in the third T20 match. The women in green have been earning praise from around the world for their strong performances, with many experts heaping praise on the team’s all-round performance, rather than just individual brilliance. This is a welcome development since it shows that the squad is gelling like a true team. The strong performance is also a welcome turn after the men’s team’s disastrous World Cup campaign in India and ongoing controversies about management and other administrative wrangling. At least some Pakistani cricketers are bringing joy to sports fans.

But before we get ahead of ourselves, it is important to note that the women’s team had also not won a series abroad in over five years, while the men’s team was doing quite well over the same period. The focus should now be on making sure this success is long-lasting and not a flash in the pan. On that note, the women’s excellent performance will serve to justify the decision to expand the central contract system — 74 women were recently given central contracts, including 14 full internationals and 59 younger players, most of whom are eligible for the under-19 team. Investing in young players encourages them to keep playing the game and honing their skills, vastly improving the talent pool and putting the team on the path to consistent long-term success.

However, if the women are to avoid the problems plaguing the men’s team, the administration has to focus on cricket, rather than politics, and decisions need to be taken for professional reasons, rather than the kind of alleged favouritism we have seen in several recent Pakistan Cricket Board moves.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 7^th, 2023.

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