The entire nation watched the ICC World Twenty20 final, in England, glued to the television sets, excitement growing with each ball bowled. Another Pakistani team playing India for the same shield, the ICC Twenty20, pulled no crowds on the ground nor did millions watch them on TV at home. They were our women's eleven. They too needed encouragement. It did not matter if they lost. Was that not an achievement they were women, Pakistani women at that, and participating in an international tournament?
Women's sports have always suffered in Pakistan under one pretext or the other; now it is our culture, now traditions and when nothing else works, our religion. The founding Charter of Women's Action Forum had a specific clause reaffirming the right of Pakistani women to participate in sports, recreational and cultural life. This was in response to General Ziaul Haq's ban on girls and women playing in public or participating in co-educational activities. More than a quarter century later the related clause is still in the charter as the demand has remained unmet.
Women's cricket in Pakistan has taken off wonderfully. The girls are doing well both in Pakistan and outside in international games, they are doing very well, says Naushad Ali, former test cricketer and chief selector. He is not at all disappointed but feels proud of their performance and having been able to making it to the Twenty20, despite being a team so young.
'Today they have coaches, a secretariat, proper setup and all the financial support from PCB. There is no dearth of talent. In two years these girls have done wonders. In five years they will be recognized at world level,' adds Mr Ali.
Women's cricket in Pakistan is very different to their male counterparts. There is no media support - no promotion, no sponsorship. With no or minimal viewership, their remuneration is nothing in comparison to their male counterparts. Despite the hardships and the constant criticism levelled at them, the Pakistani women cricketers have fought impediments and taken the game as a challenge.
Pakistan women's team emerged on the global cricket scene in 1997 on a tour of Australia and New Zealand. Although they did not win, they were invited to take part in the World Cup later that year in India. In 2004, Pakistan played seven ODIs and a Test match. The test match was drawn and Pakistan won two out of the five ODI match series. those two victories for Pakistan were their first against a Test playing nation.
Following this, PCB in 2005 established a Women's Wing. The first international event was when Indian Under-21 team toured Pakistan, becoming the first Indian women's side to tour the country. In the second Women Asia Cup, hosted by Pakistan in late 2005, the Pakistani Women's cricket team for the first time played against its rival Indian Women's cricket team. One needs to be reminded here that the first cricket team was founded a full 21 years after India's.
In 2007, after they toured South Africa, Pakistan Women team qualified for the ICC Women World Cup held in Ireland. They qualified for the tournament after beating Hong Kong. In this particular match it was the fabulous game of Urooj Mumtaz and her century that helped the country beat Hong Kong by 172 runs in a one-day game.
The performance of Pakistani women's cricket team deserves to be celebrated. Relatively new to the international cricket scene, they are currently ranked number 10 in the world. If women cricket is given half the attention given to men, it can work wonders. The team lacks support not only from the professionals and organizations but the people also.
A research by Uks, an NGO working for women rights, particularly in media, women and girls' participation in sports does not get reflected in the media. The report highlights the disparity and biases that exist between media coverage of women and men in sports. It indicates that a very small percentage of all media coverage focuses on women in sports in general and Pakistani women in particular.
