Women's International Cricket History: Complete Timeline, Records & Evolution (1745–2026)
Women's cricket has evolved from informal matches played centuries ago into one of the fastest-growing sports worldwide. Today, millions of fans follow the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, Women's T20 World Cup, Women's Premier League (WPL), The Hundred Women, Women's Big Bash League (WBBL), and other major competitions.
International women's cricket is now played across all three formats:
Test Cricket
One Day Internationals (ODIs)
Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is)
The sport has produced legendary cricketers such as Belinda Clark, Charlotte Edwards, Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, Ellyse Perry, Meg Lanning, Suzie Bates, Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Nat Sciver-Brunt, and many more.
1. Origin of Women's Cricket
Although cricket originated in England during the 16th century, women began playing the game much later.
The earliest documented women's cricket match took place in 1745 in Surrey, England.
At that time:
Cricket was played mainly for entertainment.
Women played local village matches.
Matches attracted large crowds.
Betting on women's cricket was common.
Despite social restrictions, women continued playing the game.
2. First Recorded Women's Cricket Match (1745)
The earliest recorded match occurred on 26 July 1745 between:
Bramley Women
Hambledon Women
Location: Guildford, Surrey, England
This match established that women had been playing organized cricket for nearly three centuries.
3. First Women's Test Match (1934)
The first Women's Test Match was played in December 1934.
England vs Australia
Venue: Brisbane, Australia
Result:
England won the historic Test series.
This officially launched Women's Test cricket.
4. ICC Women's T20 World Cup
The first tournament was held in 2009.
Champions
Year
Winner
5. Greatest Women's Cricketers
Batters
Belinda Clark (Australia)
Charlotte Edwards (England)
Mithali Raj (India)
Meg Lanning (Australia)
Suzie Bates (New Zealand)
Smriti Mandhana (India)
Bowlers
Jhulan Goswami (India)
Cathryn Fitzpatrick (Australia)
Katherine Sciver-Brunt (England)
Shabnim Ismail (South Africa)
