Former New Zealand captain Watkins amazed at rapid transformation of the game
- Aimee Watkins, who led New Zealand to the final of the ICC Women’s World T20 on two occasions, says professionalism is changing how women’s cricket is being played
- Below are some highlights from a column by her; full write-up available aticc-cricket.comand on theOnline Media Zone for free editorial use giving credit to ICC
Former New Zealand captain Aimee Watkins feels the rapid conversion of women’s cricket towards professionalism has changed how players are approaching the game, even as she looks at the potential stars of the upcoming ICC Women’s World T20 2018.
“These changes in such a short space of time have certainly changed the lives of those currently involved in the women’s game, but will also go on to have a greater impact on those stars-to-be who are just beginning their careers,” Watkins writes in a column for the International Cricket Council ahead of the Caribbean tournament.
“Women’s cricket has gone through a huge transition in the past 10 years, with most players in the top six ranked countries in the world being either fully or semi-professional cricketers. Along with this increased professionalism comes more support staff, better facilities, more playing and training opportunities, greater coverage and further globalisation of the game.
“Because of these changes, it’s no surprise there’s been a massive change in perception of women’s cricket and the game has become much more respected all over the world, which is only set to continue,” she writes.
Watkins, who played for New Zealand with distinction across formats for nine years and led them to the finals of the ICC Women’s World T20 events in 2009 and 2010, says the upcoming edition is very important for the New Zealand team since they have failed to make the final after 2010.
She names captain Amy Satterthwaite, Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine as the potential match-winners for New Zealand while also picking a host of others from different sides.
Watkins’s complete column on the upcoming ICC Women’s World T20 2018 is available at www.icc-cricket.com and the Online Media Zone for free download and editorial use.
The following is the schedule of upcoming articles:
1 Nov – Column by ICC Hall of Famer Claire Taylor
2 Nov – Column by ICC Hall of Famer Belinda Clark
The following articles have been released and are available on the ICC website and OMZ:
30 Oct – Column by former India captain Anjum Chopra
29 Oct – Salma, Delany and Athapaththu optimistic ahead of ICC Women’s World T20 2018
28 Oct – Rising run-rates evoke further interest in ICC Women’s World T20 2018
27 Oct – First-person article by Windies captain Stafanie Taylor
26 Oct – First-person article by South Africa captain Dane van Niekerk
25 Oct – First-person article by India captain Harmanpreet Kaur
25 Oct – Umpire and match referee appointments
24 Oct – First-person article by New Zealand captain Amy Satterthwaite
23 Oct – First-person article by England captain Heather Knight
22 Oct – First-person article by Australia captain Meg Lanning
21 Oct – Calypso support and history add toflavourof ICC Women’s World T20
20 Oct – ICC Women’s World T20 2018 highlights the changing face of women’s cricket
19 Oct – A look back at previous tournaments
10 Oct – Squads confirmed for ICC Women’s World T20 2018