Fifty years after the first Women’s World Cup, India are champions.

This episode of Cricktake dives into the 2025 Women’s World Cup - the richest and most-watched edition ever. From Mandira Bedi’s sponsorship in 2005 to India’s record-breaking chase and South Africa’s fearless run, we explore the power shifts that redefined women’s cricket.

00:00 – Intro: 50 years since 1975 and the most watched Women’s World Cup ever

02:18 – Segment 1: In The Middle – Power shifts and turning points

02:33 – South Africa’s journey: fearless, emotional and unbreakable

16:05 – Australia’s journey: human this time but still formidable

25:00 – India’s journey: historic, emotional and full of belief

42:35 – England’s journey: underwhelming, senior heavy and looking for renewal

45:05 – Pakistan’s journey: gritty, improving and finding rhythm

47:00 – Sri Lanka and New Zealand: flashes of brilliance lost to rain

47:55 – Segment 2: What’s Next – the future of women’s cricket and its new power map

Before the men lifted their first World Cup in 1975, the women had already done it in 1973. Yet that story was quietly forgotten.

This episode of Cricktake revisits the rise, neglect, and revival of women’s cricket - from Rachael Heyhoe Flint’s pioneering World Cup to the WPL’s packed stadiums and Australia’s blueprint for professionalization. We explore how gender-bland sexism, selective memory, and structural bias shaped the sport’s past, and ask a simple question that still echoes today:

When will women’s cricket truly be seen as equal and not exceptional?

00:07 - Introduction: The story cricket forgot

02:16 - Segment 1: The Forgotten Past - 1973, erasure, and the gendered narrative

12:54 - Segment 2: The Present - WPL, visibility vs. equity, and lived realities

30:28 - Segment 3: What’s Next - Australia’s blueprint, India’s breakout, and the global roadmap

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The Asia Cup 2025 reminded us how form, rhythm, and temperament define success in the subcontinent. India’s expected dominance was finally challenged by a late Pakistani surge, though not enough to shift the pundits’ predictions. Cricktake unwraps the tournament through its turning points, from Afghanistan’s struggle and Sri Lanka’s rise to the determined efforts of the UAE, Oman, and Hong Kong, revealing how structure and skill continue to shape Asian cricket’s story.