Top Secrets About Women’s Cricket They Don’t Want You To Know

 While women's cricket is gaining popularity, much remains hidden behind the scenes that the general public is unaware of

Every sport has its secrets and women's cricket is no exception. These secrets are often not revealed or discussed openly and most people remain oblivious. For folks who are just curious, let us take a look at some of the closely guarded secrets of women's cricket.

Selection based on looks, not skills - There is growing speculation that many selections in women's cricket are based on looks instead of skills. The theory is that good looking women may be given preference, as they can have better opportunities for brand endorsements. Some real-life examples also exist, with uncapped players selected in place of established performers in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction.

Gender pay gap - While BCCI has announced equal match fees for women cricket, the central contracts are still greatly impacted by gender pay gap. For example, top A+ Grade male cricketers earn several crores, whereas pay for women's top grade is capped at Rs 50 lakh. Such a gender pay gap may create challenges in bringing the right talent to women's cricket.

Low fitness levels - There appears to be some leniency when it comes to fitness tests for women cricketers. For example, men cricketers are required to have a Yo-Yo fitness test rating in the range of 17.1 to 17.4. For women, this rating is considered to be below 14. However, the actual ratings for women cricketers are not made public. This raises questions about the fitness levels of women cricketers.

Mouth shut rule - It is speculated that women cricketers are directed to avoid controversial topics with the media. It is suspected that women cricketers are provided PR and media coaching to ensure that they give 'safe' answers to the media. An anonymous women cricketer had once told that anyone who dares to cross the line may lose commercial endorsements.

Same-sex relationships - It is speculated that such relationships may exist among women cricket players, but a real-life case is yet to be documented. Sources do acknowledge anonymously that such relationships may exist. While such relationships may be acceptable in specific countries, it can lead to issues in orthodox countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Lack of dedicated facilities - In developing countries, women cricketers often do not have access to proper training facilities and equipment. They may have to share equipment used by male players and get access to training facilities only during off-peak hours. Cricketer Veda Krishnamurthy had once said that they used to take trains and autos to reach the match venue in their early days. In comparison, male cricketers were flown via flights.

Low motivation - While not applicable to all women cricketers, there have been cases where some players have shown low motivation levels. For example, cricketer Shafali Verma once admitted that she is mentally exhausted. In another case, a women cricketer was found to have faked a hamstring injury to avoid participating in tournaments.

Unreported harassment cases - Multiple reports claim that cases of harassment in women's cricket may be getting suppressed. For example, a South African player had once accused their coach for inappropriate behavior. However, the matter was reportedly settled with just a transfer. More such cases may go unreported.