/ Andrew Hughes / 09 March 2009 /

Andrew Hughes on the sport where England are genuine contenders... women's cricket, where the World Cup is underway in Australia.

If watching Andrew Strauss's band of not very merry men toil under the hot Caribbean sun has drained your enthusiasm for the game somewhat, there is an alternative. It is possible to enjoy all the benefits of watching an exciting and successful cricket team, without feeling disloyal to the three lions. Simply switch your loyalties to the England women's team who are currently in Australia, taking part in the ninth edition of the Women's World Cup. Not only were they second favourites going into the tournament, they've actually won it on two previous occasions, which is roughly two times more than their male counterparts have managed. And the cricket schedule works out perfectly. You can catch up on your sleep during the 'action' from the Caribbean and wake up suitably refreshed to watch the Women's World Cup, with all the games getting underway at 11:00pm GMT.

Super Eight ...or should that be Six?
The first Women's World Cup was held in 1973, so it pre-dates the men's version by two years. Though Australia, New Zealand and England have participated in every tournament, the final number of entrants has varied and so the format has been through some changes. Typically, it has involved a single league on a round robin basis, followed by semis and a final. But this time, they've gone with two groups of four, followed by a 'Super Six' stage. On the one hand, this represents an expansion in the size of the tournament and reflects the organisers' confidence in the popularity and commercial appeal of the women's game. On the other hand, like the men's version, it does seem an inordinately long-winded way of eliminating the no-hopers.

Come on England!
The market on the tournament winner is still immature, but England have made an impressive start by crushing Sri Lanka on Saturday and even when prices settle down, you are unlikely to be able to back them at much more than [2.6] or thereabouts. They are certainly a team on a roll, coming into the tournament on a run of 14 wins. Over the last two years, improved funding for the women's game in England has meant that many of the top players have benefited from being able to play semi-professional cricket down under during the winter. Many pundits are predicting that England could be the team to beat over the next few years and with their passage through to the Super Six stage as group winners looking assured, they have a real chance of winning the World Cup for the first time since 1993.

The Rest
Australia are inevitably favourites. The five-times champions are on home soil and haven't lost a one day series or tournament since 2000. But both England and New Zealand have been pushing them closer in the limited overs format recently and with a host of new faces this time around, there will be less of a fear factor in facing them. In the battle of the neighbours, New Zealand shocked the hosts on Sunday and are now in pole position to claim first place in Group A. The only other serious contender is India, who exceeded all expectations by reaching the final in South Africa in 2005, but who generally do not do that well outside the Indian subcontinent. West Indies and South Africa are purely there to make up the numbers.

Top England players
If there were an IPL for the women's game, then England's players would be much sought after. According to the first ever ICC rankings for the women's game, released in October, Claire Taylor is the world's top bat and Isa Guha top bowler.They also have one of the most exciting talents in the game, opening bat Sarah Taylor who is only 19 yet has already scored two one day international centuries. Other players to watch out for are the Australian Ellyse Perry, a fast-bowler and dashing batter, something of a pin-up girl in Aussie sports; New Zealand's Aimee Mason, opening bat and leading White Ferns wicket taker and India's former skipper Mithali Raj, the lynchpin of their batting order, having amassed 3,000 one day runs at an average of 46.

'.$sign_up['title'].'

'; } } ?>

:

:

:

?

: