Woman's Hour live from Lord's Cricket Ground

Published: July 17, 2024, 12:03 p.m.

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Today, Woman's Hour comes live from Lord's Cricket Ground as England face New Zealand for the culmination of a five-match T20 International series. To talk us through the upcoming game we are joined by Ebony Rainford-Brent MBE. Ebony is a World Cup-winning cricketer, now turned presenter and pundit.

We begin by looking at the grassroots game which is growing at a fast rate. We hear from girls at Carlton Cricket Club about why they love the sport, also from 16-year-old Honor Black who\\u2019s clothing company, Maiden, designs kit specifically for girls. We also hear again from Ebony Rainford-Brent. Ebony was the first black woman to play cricket for England and founded the African-Caribbean Engagement Programme, ACE, which creates opportunities for young cricketers to take up the game.

Nuala gets a tour around the 'Home of Cricket', and the spots of most significance to women\\u2019s history at Lord's.

Woman's Hour also looks at the situation for women\\u2019s cricket in 2024. How far has the sport come and what is left to do? Beth Barrett-Wild is Director of the Women\\u2019s Professional Game at the England and Wales Cricket Board and joins Nuala live. They will discuss the many successes in the women\\u2019s game but also a damning report which found that women were treated as \\u2018second class citizens\\u2019 in cricket and recommended that the ECB strive to ensure equal pay on average at domestic level by 2029 and at international level by 2030.

Ahead of England's match against New Zealand in the culmination of the five-match T20 International series, New Zealand\\u2019s star player and former captain Suzie Bates joins Nuala to look ahead to the game and discuss women\\u2019s cricket in NZ.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern \\nProducer: Emma Pearce and Claire Fox

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