Former skipper of the English cricket team Charlotte Edwards sounded out her approval of the progress that has taken place in women’s cricket in recent years. Edwards, who has been one of the most dominant forces in the women’s game spoke her mind in a recent interview with the ICC Media team.
The 36-year-old who made her debut in 1995, has seen the progression of the game over the years says the game has come forward leaps and bounds. She expressed her feeling in her column in icc-cricket.com saying , “In 1996, I made my debut against New Zealand as a 16-year-old girl. Back then, I purchased my own England blazer as the game was totally amateur,”.
Edwards who retired last month after the T20 World Cup further praised the progress of the game since the ICC merged with the International Women’s Cricket Council (IWCC) in 2005, stating, “Two decades on, I leave a game unrecognisable to the one that I first played.
She also thanked the ICC for doing their foremost to promote the game amongst women saying that there are in fact more incentives for women cricketers these days to play the game.
“The ICC has been at the forefront of many of the positive changes that have been made to the game, but the merge of the International Women’s Cricket Council with the ICC in 2005, would prove to be one of the most significant,” continued Edwards, who was the skipper of the England team which were triumphant at the ICC Women’s World Cup and ICC Women’s World Twenty20 in 2009.
The opener, who represented England in 23 Tests, 191 ODIs and 95 T20Is over a career that spanned over two decades added, “What I’m most proud of is where the women’s game currently sits. We have some wonderful role models and a game to be really proud of. Globally, players are inspiring many girls and women to pick up a bat and a ball and that makes me very proud.”
Edwards, who represents Kent at the domestic circuit has amassed 1,676 in Test matches. She in fact currently holds the record for scoring the most number of runs for women 5,992 runs in ODIs. Her record of 2,605 T20I runs meanwhile is more than any other men’s and women’s player in the shortest format of the game.
She was in fact amongst the five cricketers to be bestowed the honour of Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2014.
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