ET GBS: Women’s cricket a big opportunity to popularise the sport, says ICC CEO Geoff Allardice

“We are talking about opportunities to grow cricket, and I think women’s cricket is one of the best opportunities for us,” Allardice told cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle during a fireside chat at the ET Global Business Summit on Friday.

“The recent developments in India around Women’s Premier League–it’s quite eye-watering in terms of the number it produced, whether it is broadcast rights, team ownership process or the players’ auction,” he said.

The timing of the establishment of the Women’s Premier League was “spot on”, Allardice said, adding that women looking to make a career as an athlete would find cricket a favourable option.

The top ICC executive said cricket will also gain more prominence as it spreads to newer geographies, particularly the US.

“We haven’t even scratched the surface in terms of cricket in the US,” he said. The country has a large cricket fan base and is the third-largest market in terms of cricket media rights despite no major domestic league or a prominent national team.

ICC’s talks to add T20 cricket to the Olympics are also progressing well, Allardice said, adding that addition of the game will raise its profile in nations where it is not popular.”It’s a big opportunity for us and a decision will be made later this year,” he said.

Praising the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for its role in promoting the sport in the country, Allardice said cricket is at an excellent position in the country and is bringing a significant share of commercial margins for the game globally.

“The teams, both men’s and women’s, are very competitive, although they could win some more senior ICC trophies,” he said, taking a light-hearted jibe at Indian cricket for not winning a major ICC tournament since the World Cup win in 2011.

On the multiple formats of cricket, the ICC boss said it provides an opportunity to the organisers to provide the sport to viewers in the best possible way to engage them. The longer format of the game, in the form of test cricket, is popular in England, Australia and India, while the shorter formats are more popular in other cricketing nations, he said. “That’s why cricket is in a good place right now.”