Mehmood was right

[kshah]

"Na biwi na bachha, Na baap bada na maiyya,
The whole thing is that ki, bhaiya, sabse bada rupaiya"
- [ Mehmood ], "Sabse Bada Rupaiya", 1976
- Mehmood, remixed in "Bluffmaster", 2005

Literally translated

Comments

[pappubahry]

If female cricketers could do well anywhere, it's in T20. But don't expect too much. Karen Rolton is or was the world's best women's cricketer, and the highest level of men's cricket she played in was third grade. (Above that in Australia is second grade, first grade, then state second XI, then the state team.) Now that's significantly higher than what I played in, but not very high. Almost all other women's cricketers are worse.

Cathryn Fitzpatrick, who was the fastest female bowler in the world before she retired (around 75mph), played in a men's first grade team in a T20 once, and did all right: 4 overs 1/28.

Mixed matches would be fun, but there's a huge gulf in strength. I went to a day of a women's Test match once, and the quality of cricket was very low.

To be fair, the same thing happens in tennis, but they still play mixed doubles.

[kshah]

But of course there's this divide! These players who play at the Australian third grade level rarely play at any other level (the fact that they are women is coincidental) -- how would one expect them to improve?

In a mixed team, they play along with a stronger team against a stronger team. Woman's cricket won't develop overnight, but this is as fast a path as any for a better woman's game.

[dhans_diary]

Mixed teams is a good idea though the women players do lack in strength. And yes the cricket ball size is smaller in women's cricket. However in terms of eyeball grabbing action, a mixed team tournament will be best just for novelty sake.
I do not understand the logic of cricket boards banning their players because they chose ICL even though ICL has no conflict with them. What is even more flabbergasting is that players are still jumping ship. This means that their board is paying them peanuts and that one year of ICL is more financially lucrative than a decade of playing for your country.

[kshah]

In terms of eyeball grabbing action -- maybe. But a two teams with three women cricketers each can still deliver a good, close cricket match.

About cricket boards banning cricketers because of the ICL and about why cricketers still prefer the ICL, refer Mehmood's words above... It's not all that flabbergasting.