16 October,2024 06:59 AM IST | Dubai | Santosh Suri
India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur wears a dejected look as she leaves the field after their nine-run defeat to Australia in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Sunday. Pic/Getty Images
Women's cricket in Asia is still a long way from the standards set by teams like Australia, England, NZ and SA. In a rather lopsided Women's T20 World Cup, the Asian teams could not reduce the chasm between them and the non-Asian sides after their poor show in the league phase.
Despite the tournament being held in the UAE, where conditions are similar to what they are used to back home, none of the Asian teams, including India, could make it to the semi-finals.
Before the tournament, it was felt that due to heat and humidity and on the low and slow pitches which Asian teams are more accustomed to, they would be a force.
But none of the four Asian teams in the fray, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka could finish in the top four. The semi-final spots were taken by Australia and New Zealand from Group A and England and South Africa from Group B. The West Indies women punched much above their capability, but narrowly missed the last four berth.
The only non-Asian team not to finish in the Top 5 after the conclusion of the league phase were Scotland, who finished 10th, losing all four matches without much of a fight. But then, they had come into the tournament as Qualifiers, unlike the other nine ranked teams who had got a direct entry.
If we scrutinise the performance of the Asian team, of the 16 matches played by them in the tournament, they managed to win only four, a poor percentage of 25. Of these, two were by India and one each by Pakistan and Bangladesh. Sri Lanka who had emerged the Asia Cup T20 champions a couple of months ago, lost all four matches.
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None of the Asian teams could beat higher-ranked opponents. India could beat only Pakistan and Sri Lanka, while Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka in Group A, while Bangladesh's only win came against bottom-placed Scotland in Group B. Is this divide due to the physical traits between the Asian and non-Asian players, who are built taller and stronger? Or is it the mental aspect that the Asian players find difficult to overcome? Probably, it's a combination of the two. However, India's captain Harmanpreet Kaur and coach Amol Muzumdar have put it down to a lack of experience. Both felt that the experience of teams like Australia counted in the end.
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"They are experienced and know how to win close matches," both had echoed. Despite doing poorly, the Asian teams earned some praise that should encourage them to continue to work hard to improve their standards. The non-Asian players may have respect for teams like India and Pakistan, but the fact remains that these teams have to show results on the world stage.
