Bismah Maroof Calls For Women’s Pakistan Super League, Disappointed Not To See Exhibition Matches During PSL 2024
Karachi: Following the success of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), former national team captain Bismah Maroof called for a dedicated women’s cricket league to level up their performances at the international level. Founded in 2015, PSL is one of the most successful franchise T20 leagues in the world currently, drawing top cricketers from around the world.
The number of women’s cricket matches per year is way less than what the men play. For a lower-ranked team like Pakistan, the players need international exposure to excel at the top level and fight eye-to-eye against powerhouses like England, Australia and India to name a few. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) did host exhibition matches during the PSL in the last couple of years, but aren’t hosting any this year.
Notably, the exhibition matches were modelled like India’s Women’s T20 Challenge where three teams featuring local and international female cricketers compete in a five-six game affair. The BCCI hosted the competition for four years in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022 before formally announcing the Women’s Premier League in 2023. Currently the second season is underway.
“Playing with foreign players provides a great opportunity to learn, and sharing the dressing room also benefits. The skills improve, which is why our results improved after that,” Maroof told media. Having a Women’s Pakistan Super League will not only provide a platform for the upcoming cricketers, but also help in growth and development of of Pakistan women’s cricket.
She also expressed disappointment for not having the women’s exhibition matches in the ongoing PSL. “There are no exhibition matches for women cricketers in PSL 9, which is disappointing,” she added. The Women’s Big Bash League (Australia), Women’s Super Smash (New Zealand) and Women’s Caribbean Premier League (West Indies) are some of the notable women’s franchise T20 leagues in the world.