Beaumont: Women's cricket hindered by comparison to men's game

Tammy Beaumont is adamant women's cricket in England can continue its upward trajectory - if more funds are ploughed into the sport and comparisons with the men's game come to an end.

Research by The Women's Sports Trust shows a record 15.1 million people watched women's sport in the first three months of 2022, with the Cricket World Cup earning 13 per cent of that share.

Former England batter Ebony Rainford-Brent said women's sport in the UK is "at the highest point it has ever been" when she collected her MBE at Windsor Castle earlier this month.

Beaumont agrees - but says there is still work to be done for cricket.

The 31-year-old, part of the England side that recovered from three straight defeats at the start of the recent World Cup to make the final, told Sky Sports: "The game can definitely still go higher.

"The biggest thing that sometimes holds it back is the comparison to the men's game - people saying 'women don't bowl 90mph, don't hit sixes, don't hit the ball as hard'. It can kill the game.

"You need to see it for what it is, see that it is different, judge it for what it is. It should still be critiqued when it falls short as we need that if we want to improve.

"But it doesn't help if people say, 'she wouldn't do very well against Jofra Archer, would she?' Those sorts of things really aren't helpful."

England lost to Australia by 71 runs in April's World Cup final in New Zealand, with Alyssa Healy's 170 from 138 balls underpinning the Southern Stars' 38th victory in their last 39 one-day internationals.

Australia have also won the last two T20 World Cups, in 2018 and 2020, while they defeated England 12-4 on points earlier this year to retain the Women's Ashes. So, how can the gap be bridged?

Beaumont