India’s women cricketers, who played in the domestic tournaments under the aegis of the Women’s Cricket Association of India (WCAI) are in deep predicament.
In the absence of any record of the matches played from 1973 to 2005, women cricketers across the country have virtually given up to find evidence of having played the WCAI organised tournaments until 2005.
Over the last twelve months many of them have been calling up team-mates, scorers, statisticians and friends in the newspaper offices to collect score sheets and clippings of the matches in which they had played.
Only verified records of a certain number of matches they have played will allow women cricketers to apply for the membership of the Indian Cricketers Association (ICA) which is registered as a company with Kapil Dev, Shantha Rangaswamy and Ajit Agarkar as the initial directors of the Board.
The CoA has recognised the ICA as the only body for men and women cricketers.
Three years ago the Lodha panel recommendations that was validated by the Supreme court empowered women cricketers with meaningful roles and a place in the BCCI and State’s Apex Council.
The eligibility criteria for former men and women cricketers to apply for membership of the ICA is (1) men and women ex-cricketers who have played at least one international cricket match in any format of the game at the senior level (2) male ex-cricketers, who have played at least ten first class class matches at the senior level (3) female ex-cricketers who have played at least five class matches in any format of the game at the senior level and (4) differently-abled ex-cricketers, who have played either international cricket or first-class cricket, where such cricket is recognised by the ICC or the BCCI and is organised by the BCCI or a body recognised by the ICC or the BCCI, in any format of the game at the senior level.
The CoA has also said that every three senior one-day limited overs matches and every five senior Twenty20 matches of the BCCI organised inter-state or inter-zonal tournament shall count as a first class match for women.
The CoA has also said that within 20 days, former men and women cricketers should inform the associations of the State they hail from, expressing their interest to apply for membership of the ICA with relevant proof of meeting the eligibility criteria.
Nutan Natu told Sportstar that records were not maintained by the WCAI.
"Most of the matches played by the women were one-day matches and only the final of the national championship was a three-day match. I have played many matches over a period of four or five years, but all zonal and the inter-zonal were one-day matches," she said.
Former India captain and secretary of the WCAI till 2006, Shubhangi Kulkarni believes that some of the States which promoted women’s cricket could be having the records and they could become useful for the cricketers of the particular States.
"On the basis of these records, the States can issue certificates to the former players who played in the WCAI domestic tournaments.’’
While the records of women’s international cricket has been obtained from the IWCC, the BCCI has maintained all records after it began conducting tournaments for women.
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