Boycott should not talk about power, he scored slower than many female cricketers, slams Lisa Sthalekar
Former Aussie women’s cricketer Lisa Sthalekar has slammed Sir Geoffrey Boycott for putting down Women’s cricket and suggesting that only Men who have played Test cricket can give expert opinion on the format. Sthalekar suggested that it was time for Boycott to step away from the game.
Known for his bland and honest comments, legendary English cricketer Sir Geoffrey Boycott has found himself in hot water for suggesting that Men who have played Test cricket are the only people who should be considered worthy enough to provide expert analysis about a Test match. In a column published in the London Telegraph, the 79-year-old veteran cricketer also wrote that the Men’s game also bears no resemblance to women’s cricket and added that the power and pace of men’s cricket considerably varies from what’s witnessed in the women’s game.
However, those comments have not gone down well with former Australian women’s cricketer Lisa Sthalekar, who has slammed Boycott for his statements. Sthalekar suggested that the thought process in both men’s and women’s cricket is pretty much the same and criticized the Englishman for his comments, stating that he had no rights to talk about ‘power’, given he batted at a rate slower than many of his women contemporaries. Sthalekar further suggested that it was time for the 79-year-old to step away from the sport altogether.
“It, obviously, helps to have been in similar situations to then go: ‘This is what the players might be thinking’. But the thought process and how people play the game is still exactly the same whether you play men’s cricket or women’s cricket,” the Australian told Sydney Morning Herald, reported Hindustan Times.
“It’s time for him to leave the game and let’s remember him as a great cricketer of a certain generation. Talk about power - I didn’t see much power that he displayed.
“Let’s call up his strike rate and look at some of the numbers compared to female Test cricketers of even that generation. I think some of the female cricketers would have had a better strike rate than he did.”
The 40-year-old, who is now a renowned commentator, further attested that it was not fair to draw silly comparisons and further noted that there were several people jumping on the women’s cricket bandwagon because it ‘is pretty cool and sexy’.
“It’s got nothing to do with power. The other thing as well, and this is for guys as women’s cricket is pretty cool and sexy at the moment, everyone is jumping on the bandwagon, but we need to remember that we don’t need guys coming in asking women to compare it to men’s because it is not. It is different.
“The same argument for him is that we shouldn’t have any males commentating on our game because they have never played against females. But that is not what we (cricket) are about.”
Sthalekar made 187 appearances for the Australian women’s national team between 2001 and 2013, with her last appearance coming against West Indies in an ODI in 2013.
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