Today we talk about 1982 Womens Cricket World Cup. Women’s Cricket has been a revelation in the field of sport with equality of opportunities and the fact that women can be equally good as their male counterparts. With the evolution of women’s cricket taking place at a rapid pace, the World Cups in Women’s Cricket were the pillars that laid the foundation for the development of sports in the Women’s category. The 1982 Womens Cricket World Cup was a cricket tournament that was the beginning of a bright prospect in women’s cricket which in turn changed the dimensions of the sport altogether.
The 1982 Womens Cricket World Cup was held in New Zealand with five teams entering the league. Two teams were unable to become a part of the tournament. The Netherlands as a nation was unable to become a part of the tournament and West Indies withdrew from the tournament due to the political reasons of the apartheid era, a time in which the colored people were blatantly persecuted all across the continents in the world. The above-mentioned teams were replaced by a composite International XI team.
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Australia were the eventual champions in the tournament as they remained undefeated throughout the entire span of the tournament. They were undoubtedly the strongest women’s team in those days and displayed their dominance by defeating every team that came their way. For a considerable period, they remained undefeated in whatever competitions and tournaments they participated in as a cricket unit. Australia defeated England in the 1982 Womens Cricket World Cup finals to emerge as 2-time champions in World Cricket.
The 1982 Womens Cricket World Cup was held in a round-robin format with 60 overs allotted to each team. In those days One Day International matches were held in a 60 over format with the succeeding Men’s Cricket World Cup or the Prudential Cup which was held in 1983 and won by India in England was also held in the same format. Throughout the tournament, Australia was the team to beat and they played like champions.
England’s batting great Jan Brittin finished with the highest number of runs during the World Cup, having totaled 391, ahead of the 383 scored by Lynne Thomas of the International XI and Susan Goatman, also of England, who scored 374. Although the tournament was noted for its low scores the players mentioned above had a wide array of shots which in those days were considered to be brave and outrageous. Their fearless cricket fetched them the moniker of being called the best batswomen in World Cricket during that era.
Brittin also made the highest score of the 1982 Womens Cricket World Cup, when she scored 138 not out against the International XI. The only other century of the tournament came against the same opposition: Barbara Beverage’s 101. The best averages of the competition were achieved by England’s Heyhoe-Flint, with 47.83, and two Australians, Jill Kenmare (43.87) and Lyn Fallston (41.00). The above averages are proof of why Women’s Cricket by then had become a consistent show of performances by the players.
During those days when there was no opportunity to play cricket incessantly for Women and the cricket calendar not being planned in a manner, it is done today by the International Cricket Council, the averages mentioned above suggest the kind of consistency displayed by some of the best batswomen of that particular era.
Amongst the bowlers, Fallston took the most wickets (23), followed by Jackie Lord of New Zealand, with 22, and India’s Shubhangi Kulkarni, who took 20. Lord had the most outrageous bowling figures in an innings when she took six wickets against India. The only other bowler to take five wickets in an innings was Fallston, who did so against New Zealand, taking five for 27.
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Kulkarni had the best bowling average in the 1982 Womens Cricket World Cup, collecting her wickets at 11.70. She was followed by Fallston (12.00) and Lord (12.40). The most economical bowler was New Zealand’s Sue Brown, who conceded 1.53 runs per over, followed by a pair of Australians; Cornish (1.76) and Denise Martin (1.77). The bowling statistics justify the fact why even after some batswomen displayed consistency, the fast green pitches of New Zealand with the wind blowing sideways at pitches like Christchurch were an absolute paradise for the bowlers.
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