Pakistan Women welcome proposed IPL-style league

National team players good enough to take part, says manager.

KARACHI: The possibility of having an Indian Premier League (IPL) style tournament in women’s cricket has excited players and management of the national team, who feel that it would be a major boost.

According to reports in international media, cricket’s top female players could feature in the tournament – proposed by Australian businessman Shaun Martyn – within nine months.

If the Women’s International Cricket League (WICL) is sanctioned by the International Cricket Council, then the top players would be able to earn up to $40,000 in two weeks’ time.



“It’s an exciting development that women’s cricket is likely to have its own IPL-style tournament,” one of the top players of Pakistan told The Express Tribune.

“It’s a fact that female cricketers need to earn really well in order to become more professional. The league could allow us to earn money, play alongside top players and learn from their experience. Overall, it will help in uplifting of the game and players would get to know each other.”

It has been further reported that the organisers have already met ICC Chief Executive Dave Richardson in Dubai to discuss the proposal.

The proposed tournament would help assemble the best players in world cricket in a six-team event that will be held in Singapore, if approved.

Organisers have already found businesses willing to back the venture, while they also have the backing of Cricket Australia (CA). Additionally, former Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson is part of the WICL management team, while former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd is a WICL ambassador.

‘Pakistani players good enough to play at top level’

National team manager Ayesha Ashar – who has been associated with Pakistan’s women cricket for long – stated that the women players in Pakistan are have the requisite talent to become part of the upcoming tournament without a hitch.

“We’ve got really good players who can compete in such high profile tournaments,” said Ayesha. “Sana Mir, Nida Dar, Bismah Maroof and others have the capability to play at the highest level. If the tournament is approved, it could prove to be a very significant step in women’s cricket.

“The competition level at the domestic cricket is improving, and when the players will see such tournaments coming up, they will work even harder to reach that level.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 29^th, 2014.

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