The meteoric rise of women’s cricket in Thailand

The Bangkok City Cricket Club, the first official cricket club founded in Thailand, was formed in 1890 by locals who had been exposed to the sport during travels to England.

At the time, the sport was considered only for the wealthy in society—mainly because only those who could afford to travel had experienced the thrill of playing it. However, the sport quickly spread and became popular amongst all the country’s athletes.

With the sport not being limited to gender, women have always had a strong presence in Thailand’s cricket history—in addition to being incredible athletes in other sports. However, while the country became an ICC (International Cricket Council) member in 1995, the women’s team only made its first international debut in 2007.

Following the team’s win of the ACC (Asian Cricket Council) Women’s Championship in 2013, the team qualified for an ICC global tournament for the first time. Since then, women’s participation in the sport has skyrocketed, leading to a meteoric rise of players in the country and an incredible jump in standing on the world stage.

2013 ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier

The first significant leap in women’s cricket in the country came after the ACC Women’s Championship win. Advancing enough to play in the 2013 ICC World Twenty20 qualifiers, the team ranked fifth out of the eight teams that competed.

The result shocked most who spectated the tournament, as many expected the newcomers to come in last place. While they did not steal the show, their placement proved they had something to offer and helped put Thailand on the map for women’s cricket.

2015 ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier

Just two years after their impressive showing, the same event they had made a name for themselves at was hosted in Thailand for the first time. However, the team didn’t do anything spectacular this time around.

Winning just one match throughout the tournament, the national team came seventh overall—a disappointing result compared to their previous efforts. However, this disappointment was masked by the additional attention the team garnered during the tournament.

2017 to 2018

Following the somewhat disappointing result of the 2015 season, the women’s team didn’t get downhearted. Instead, they resolved to continue improving and, in 2017, played their first-ever ODI (one-day international) against Sri Lanka.

Going up against some of the best in the world, the Thai team lost by nine wickets. Rebounding from the defeat only a few months later, they won gold at the 2017 Southeast Asian Games—again showing they had a strong drive for success.

In April 2018, however, things really began to change for the women playing on the national team. The ICC granted the women’s team full Women’s Twenty20 International status—making any game they played a full WT20 match.

By June, redemption for the loss against Sri Lanka arrived. While playing in the 2018 Women’s Twenty20 Asia Cup, the Thailand players beat their rivals by four wickets. This victory is recorded as their first-ever win against a full-member team of the ICC.

Breaking Records

After their win, the team continued a winning streak that seemed impossible to break. During the 2019 Netherlands Women’s Quadrangular Series held in August, the team won 17 consecutive matches against their opponents.

Anyone backing them on sites like Cricket Betting would have struck it rich on the odds that the team would beat out the previous record. However, with their 17th Women’s Twenty20 International win, the national team clinched the record for the most wins in a row.

Previously, the title was held by the Australian national women’s team—a group known for their remarkable ability in the sport.

The newfound victories enjoyed by the team continued two months later in September when the team finished second in the 2019 ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier. The win ensured them a spot to compete at the World Cup event in Australia the following year.

Unfair Upheaval

With the women on the national team quickly gaining the spotlight on the international stage, they were set to attempt to claim victory in the 2020 Women’s Twenty20 World Cup. Sadly, things didn’t go as planned, and the team finished last in group B.

The following year, however, the women were back on form during the 2021 Women’s World Cup Qualifier. The 15-match event took place in South Africa and Zimbabwe and found the Thailand team leading group B with four wins out of five matches played.

Unfortunately, the remainder of the event was canceled due to a new variant of COVID-19 and new travel restrictions being put into place. Due to this, the three remaining qualifier slots for the 2022 Women’s World Cup were given away to teams based on their ODI rankings.

With the West Indies, Bangladesh, and Pakistan taking the remaining slots, many thought that it was unfair Thailand was not given a chance to earn its spot in the ultimate championship.

Following upheaval in the cricketing community because Thailand did not have international ODI status, the ICC finally granted this accolade in May 2022. This newfound status led to increased matches against some of the largest teams worldwide.

Continued Growth

Toward the end of 2022, the Thailand women’s team was on another streak, winning four ODIs against the Netherlands and three T20 matches. By the start of 2023, the team was scheduled for numerous matches but had to withdraw from many due to scheduling conflicts.

Nevertheless, the team still competed against the Netherlands in an ODI series and a T20 competition between Netherlands and Scotland. Moreover, many other matches are planned for the team before the year ends.

What’s Next

The granting of international T20 status, followed by ODI status, has helped the Thailand women’s team launch onto the world stage. However, it is the players’ incredible skill, hard work, and persistence that have helped women’s cricket in the country grow.

With such monumental growth over a span of just ten years, many are excited about how the women’s team will continue to grow the status of the national team.