Guwahati (Assam) [India], October 1 (ANI): The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 opener between India and Sri Lanka set a new milestone in women’s cricket, as Guwahati’s Barsapara Cricket Stadium recorded more than 20,000 fans in the stadium at any Women’s Cricket World Cup event.
The game drew 22,843 fans at the ACA Stadium, a record for the most attended group stage fixture at any Women’s World Cup. The previous record of 15,935 was set during the India-Pakistan ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Group A clash in 2024, as reported by ICC.
The milestone is the latest to come from the ongoing marquee tournament, which has also set new benchmarks in fan accessibility and a record prize money pool in women’s cricket history.
ICC Hall of Famer Sachin Tendulkar has lauded the great miles covered by women’s cricket in recent times.
“I must acknowledge the strides made in the past few years. The Women’s Premier League has been nothing short of a game-changer. It has provided the platform, visibility, and financial security that generations of women cricketers could only dream of. A great deal of credit must go to Jay Shah, who, during his tenure as BCCI secretary, advocated for equal match fees for men and women and laid the groundwork for the WPL,” Tendulkar said in his column for ICC.
“These steps may appear administrative on paper, but in reality, they change lives. They tell every aspiring young girl that her passion is valued equally. I also want to thank the ICC for announcing record prize money for this tournament, even surpassing what was on offer for the men’s World Cup in 2023. Symbolically and practically, it sends a powerful message–that women’s cricket deserves not just applause, but equal respect, the former Indian cricketer added.
Speaking about the match, Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma overtook former spinner Neetu David to become the country’s second-highest wicket-taker in women’s ODI cricket and helped Women in Blue start their ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup campaign with a 59-run win over Sri Lanka at Guwahati on Tuesday.
During the match, India was put into bat first and scored 269/8 on the board. In the run chase of 271 runs in this 47-overs-a-side match, which saw action being interrupted by rain, Sri Lanka did look good in patches; however, Deepti’s three-wicket haul (3/54) and assists from spinners Sneh Rana (2/32) and Shree Charani (2/37) kept SL restricted to 211 in 45.4 overs.
Now in 113 matches, Deepti has 143 wickets at an average of 28.19, with best figures of 6/20, two four-wicket hauls and three five-wicket hauls. Pacer Jhulan Goswami (255 wickets in 204 matches at an average of 22.04) remains India’s best ODI bowler and overall as well across all teams. (ANI)
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