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Could any women play top level mens cricket?

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J

Jack1

International Debutant
Obvious answer no. But I watch women’s cricket from time to time if no other games are on. Some of the spinners are decent even by men’s standard. The most striking bowler is Sophie Ecclestone who is quite tall so I feel like with her bounce, control and turn might be able to succeed even in top level men’s cricket. Most obviously t20, I think if she took the step up she would also be pushed to improve too - so could be very competitive in the men’s game potentially. Maybe a bold claim but anyone that sees her bowl in women’s cricket may know what I’m getting at. But are there any others?

The presumption is women batsmen would struggle against the extra pace in the men’s game. But there may be some top players that could deal with it in which case it would be interesting what the very best woman would average with the bat in first class men’s cricket.
 
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Shri

Shri

Mr. Glass
Wouldn't an exceptionally talented player who only relied on timing be able to play as a pure batsman against men? If there were no express pace bowlers bowling at the woman I mean.

Wouldn't see a lot of sixes but idk. Maybe?
 
P

Pup Clarke

Cricketer Of The Year
Yes, but only with adequate preparation. The theory that women couldnt play quick bowling is a fallacy, as they've never been trained to do this. But with appropriate training a few could do well at county/state level yeah
 
OverratedSanity

OverratedSanity

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As a fast bowler? Apart from a few outliers, no. Requires far too much raw strength.

As a batsman, I can actually kinda see it. Not in t20s where tonking it a mile is the focus. But in test cricket where concentration/muscle memory/timing is what you need to be elite? Yeah sure.
 
srbhkshk

srbhkshk

International Captain
No they can't, the outlier theory is valid on general populace, men playing international cricket are already outliers among men, women outliers aren't gonna be competing with them in any way.
 
Teja.

Teja.

Global Moderator
OverratedSanity said:
As a fast bowler? Apart from a few outliers, no. Requires far too much raw strength.

As a batsman, I can actually kinda see it. Not in t20s where tonking it a mile is the focus. But in test cricket where concentration/muscle memory/timing is what you need to be elite? Yeah sure.
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No way imo.
 
Migara

Migara

Cricketer Of The Year
Keepers could easily make the cut.

A woman with very fast reflexes, whose game developed on using the pace of bowlers may succeed in test cricket too.
 
P

Pup Clarke

Cricketer Of The Year
But that doesn't mean that say Alyssa Healy or Meg Lanning couldn't face faster bowling does it? They could theoretically play it, but only if they adjusted their training to facing a sidearm/machine north of 130ks - and on a regular basis. This could likely take many months or even years but could be done. Do females have a significantly lesser reaction time, reflexes? I presume not
 
A

Arachnodouche

International Captain
Considering most superlative athletes opt for other sports, does cricket attract the best possible female talent currently? I mean in terms of quick bowling and fielding, mostly. No female is going to bowl as fast as Mitchell Starc for example, or probably be as explosive as say Jonty Rhodes, but are the fastest bowlers in the women's game today bowling as close to the female potential for fast bowling as possible? The gap between male and female performance in cricket feels a lot greater than it does say in tennis (obviously this is greatly related to resources and encouragement for women, areas where cricket has lagged behind other top-tier sports).
 
0

_00_deathscar

International Regular
Arachnodouche said:
Considering most superlative athletes opt for other sports, does cricket attract the best possible female talent currently? I mean in terms of quick bowling and fielding, mostly. No female is going to bowl as fast as Mitchell Starc for example, or probably be as explosive as say Jonty Rhodes, but are the fastest bowlers in the women's game today bowling as close to the female potential for fast bowling as possible? The gap between male and female performance in cricket feels a lot greater than it does say in tennis (obviously this is greatly related to resources and encouragement for women, areas where cricket has lagged behind other top-tier sports).
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Physique (and other sports) suggests that no, they wouldn't even come close. Maybe the 125 isn't representative, but it probably won't be far off (see below).
There is a HUGE gulf in terms of physique and what is capable with women with regards to that, which is why you also don't see many (any?) top level mixed sports (bizarrely with the exception of tennis...again see below though).*

See also fastest serve speeds in tennis. Quick summary - the fastest women's tennis serve doesn't make the top 35 ever served by men (that's as far as Wikipedia goes). I'm guessing it won't make the top 100, nevermind the top 50. And the drop off is huge.

*There have been the occassional mixed level one-off events - but here is how huge the gulf in class actually is: the Australian women's national football team got absolutely hammered by some Under-16 boys:
www.standard.co.uk

Australian women's national team lose 7-0 to team of 15-year-old boys

Australia’s women’s football team are ranked the fifth best side in world football. So how did they lose 7-0 to a collection of 15-year-old boys?
www.standard.co.uk www.standard.co.uk

It's happened across other events - back in the late 90s or early 00s, Serena and Venus Williams got consequently embarassed in straight sets (a set each - like 6-0 and 6-1 or something) by a guy who was ranked like 130th or 200th in men's tennis at the time.
But of course, mixed tennis (and badminton etc) is a regular event, but is never the main headliner and most top level athletes don't really compete in the mixed doubles there, at least not to a regular/serious level (not sure about badminton or table tennis)

There's a massive debate at the moment re: transgenders in female sport, professional (or amateur) male atheletes changing gender and competing in the women's category - because it's giving them a HUGE advantage (not deliberately FYI - but just as a consequence/by product of it).

It's probably okay if it's like pool or snooker or something - maybe cricket, like tennis, could have a mixed level thing...but it wouldn't be the top-tier contest.
 
TheJediBrah

TheJediBrah

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If you mean international mens cricket, not a chance. If you mean First XI club or grade cricket, I could see some of the very, very best at least being able to hold their own. I've played with some pretty ordinary cricketers that make A-grade sides that are almost certainly worse than Elise Perry.
srbhkshk said:
No they can't, the outlier theory is valid on general populace, men playing international cricket are already outliers among men, women outliers aren't gonna be competing with them in any way.
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Well put.
 
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