The Player In Her - How women cricketers have upheld the pure nature of cricket

Stock Image: Wormsley Cricket ground

"Howzat, Howzat, Howzat!!!” she politely yelled, I raised my index finger, the batswoman didn't acknowledge it with a hint of dissent, the bowler was chirpy. Cricket at times is surely a 'gentlewoman's game'.

When I was appointed as the umpire for the woman's senior cricket tournament, beyond a shadow of doubt I confirmed my appointment. The intentions were clear, the umpiring would give enough dough to move on for a while and the jobless lad in me couldn't afford to miss an opportunity even though it meant a lot of sun tanning.

Moreover I had never umpired a women's match, it would be an experience to cherish, it's better to umpire for a woman's match than the usual matches, I bet you know the reason – "A thing of beauty is a joy forever".

It’s the duty of the umpires to report to the ground well in advance before the commencement of the match; we did and we both were enthusiastic. It has always been a boon when your partner in umpiring is a close friend you know.

As I entered the ground I saw a group of ladies dressed in cricket attire and I was dumbfounded when one of them immediately asked, “Sir, at what time is the toss?". It had rained thickly the last night and there was no prospect of a match, the ground was stagnated with water all round, that's why I was taken aback by the question. If not for them being ladies, they would not have ever reported so early in such a rain affected situation.

It was certain that no play was possible for the day, but the ladies were optimistic, some had already started tapping the wet bulged red ball with the willow, some practiced catching the leather ball. At the beginning they had difficulty moving through the sluggish soft ground but they soon they were getting used to the condition. In between all the activities, at short intervals they asked the same question, “Sir, when will we start the match?" I answered positively in a coy manner; I didn't want to ruin their hopes.

Time moved on but it did nothing to improve the ground condition, there was a water standstill beneath the lush green outfield. The organizers wanted the game to take place at any cost; they couldn't afford to postpone the matches for various reasons.

We had to take the risk of conducting the match in the unfavorable conditions. The captains of the teams were least bothered about the danger when we discussed about the status of the ground. They all had come there to play a cricket match and have fun; it was evident from their actions.

Finally I called 'Play'. When the match unfolded I saw a fielder hitting the stumps directly, bowlers having a talk whenever the ball beat the striker's willow, a batswoman stepping out the wicket the first ball she faced. Even though some overs included five or more non-legitimate balls, they bowled the over with the same run-up and energy – remember the 17-ball over of Mohammad Sami.

The element that appealed me the most was their attitude towards the game, they treated cricket as a pure and simple game. They didn't care which bat or gloves they used, the ladies played it uncomplicatedly in its age-old fashion – for their gratification.

The majority of ladies may not be avid followers of sports, but somewhere there is that spirit to play games and feel good. My perspective of how women take sports changed forever after that unique experience, it was a revelation for me.

My mother used to play hockey during her college days, the 'masala dosa' after the practice session influenced her to take up the sport. If the younger generation of ladies aren’t persuaded by a 'masala dosa', try something else to discover the player in her.