And the decision to open the tournament with a women's game was a major reason why schoolgirl and budding cricketer Vedanshree Patel, 14, wanted to watch. "The new format is an interesting set-up to support women's cricket. "Women's cricket was not that big and popular, but now it's going to get big," said Patel, who plays for London-based county team Middlesex. "There'll be a larger audience and it will increase the standard of women's cricket in the future. Starting the Hundred with a women's game is a really smart move."

Source: News 24 July 21, 2021 20:15 UTC