Crowd record in sight as CA boss eyes next big step

While the Australia-India match-up has handed promoters the optimum scenario for realising their long-held #FillTheMCG ambition at tomorrow's women's T20 World Cup final, Cricket Australia boss Kevin Roberts quietly hopes it's an attendance record that is soon toppled.

The presence of the hugely popular Australia women's team in the play-off after a rollercoaster ride through a tournament they were expected to dominate, complemented by the feel-good storyline of India in their first T20 trophy decider backed by their legion of fans worldwide represents a near-perfect confluence.

On the strength of 75,000-plus pre-sales and the forecast of fine weather in Melbourne encouraging a healthy 'walk-up' contingent, organisers remain hopeful the 90,815 benchmark for attendance at a standalone women's sporting fixture will topple.

That record is currently held by California's Rose Bowl stadium, which hosted the 1999 FIFA women's World Cup football final between USA and China.

But having overseen the year-long public awareness campaign that has championed the record crowd push, Roberts believes a new attendance benchmark would ideally prove a stepping-stone rather than an end game.

The continued on-field achievements of the women's team from India, the economic powerhouse that accounts for around 80 per cent of global revenue in the men's game, raises the prospect of even greater crowds turning out to future fixtures in the world's biggest democracy (population around 1.4 billion).

Roberts cites last month's opening of the world's largest cricket stadium in the north-west city of Ahmedabad, with a reputed capacity of up to 120,000, as an example of the aspirations the women's game now realistically holds.

And while the CA Chief Executive would be chuffed to see the famous cricket ground a few hundred metres walk from his current office in Jolimont hold the record for the two decades or more it's resided with the Rose Bowl, he is also acutely aware of the latent power the India team carries.

"Whatever happens in terms of the event on Sunday and our aspirations for attendance at that match, there's a new 120,000-seat stadium in Ahmedabad," Roberts told cricket.com.au.

"And how good would it be in the not-too-distant future if India hosted a women's World Cup and set a record for attendance for that in their new stadium?

"Who knows, this might be a nice step towards that.

"And in a way, it would be a good thing if the record – should it be set at the MCG this weekend - didn't stand too long."

Importantly, the support that CA has shown for women's cricket in recent years has been pragmatic as well as promotional.

Under the current Memorandum of Understanding between players and the administration, men and women share the same base-contract remuneration and the prizemoney on offer for the KFC Big Bash League and the Rebel WBBL is also equal.

In addition, CA has pledged to cover the shortfall between what finalists in the ICC men's T20 World Cup earned when it was last played in 2016 (where the winners, West Indies, pocketed $US 1.6 million) and the purse their women's team stand to receive on Sunday.

If Meg Lanning's team lift the trophy tomorrow, they will receive a cheque for $US 1 million from the ICC which means CA will tip in an extra $US 600,000 (around $A 900,000) while the top-up amount should Australia emerge as runners-up will be half that amount.

"It's a really important signal for gender equality," Roberts said of the decision to ensure the national women's team was offered commensurate financial incentives as men playing the same format.

"It happens in tennis grand slams, so why shouldn't it happen in cricket World Cups?

"We strongly believe in gender equality in any measure, and prizemoney parity is a key element of that.

"It's something we're committed to, and excited for what it could mean for our players."

However, Roberts stopped short of suggesting the ICC should follow CA's lead and institute equal prizemoney for their men's and women's events, with the total purse for the men's T20 World Cup that will be held in Australia later this year yet to be confirmed.

"I think all sport is on a journey to gender equality," he said.

"It's really good when there's signals from one sport or another by virtue of these types of initiatives to then encourage everyone else to join the rising tide.

"It's really important for all organisations, be that in sport or beyond, because it's bigger than a cricket match, bigger than a sporting event.

"It's about empowering women and girls the world over, and that's what is really exciting for us."

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur spoke earlier in the current tournament about the potential benefits that might flow from a maiden T20 World Cup win by her outfit, the realisation of a women's IPL competition among them.

The case for a women's iteration of the world's foremost domestic cricket product has been discussed in India for several years, with the national women's team having reached the grand final of the 50-over World Cup in 2005 (beaten comprehensively by Australia) and 2017 (narrow loss to England).

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) last week confirmed the women's T20 challenge competition – first held in 2018 and which last year featured three teams comprising some of the world's leading players – would be expanded to include a fourth team this year.

As was the case in 2019, the matches will be played during the IPL's play-off week and are expected to draw huge audiences to the live television coverage across India.

Having witnessed the ongoing growth of the WBBL, which enjoyed its first stand-alone season earlier this summer, Roberts believes the introduction of a women's IPL would represent another pivotal moment in the game's global evolution.

"I think it would be a terrific initiative in terms of the women's game and for female players," he said.

"The IPL has been fantastic for male players to develop, and then take those skills back to their home countries and use those skills in other forms of the game, and in playing for their respective nations.

'So if a women's IPL could do the same thing for women's cricket, it would be a great thing."

T20 Women's World Cup Final

Australia squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Erin Burns, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy (wk), Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Molly Strano, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham.

India squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Veda Krishnamurthy, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Deepti Sharma, Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Rajeshwari Gaekwad, Richa Ghosh

Key timings - March 8

11:00am - 6:00pm: Fanzone in Yarra Park

3:30pm: Gates open at the MCG

5:00pm: Fans encouraged to ARRIVE EARLY

5:30pm: Katy Perry pre-match performance

6:00pm: Match starts

Post-match: Trophy presentation and Katy Perry concert

Broadcast: Fans in Australia can watch live on Foxtel, Kayo Sports and 9Gem