Ian Bishop: Women’s game needs more seam bowlers

Batters have dominated the 2026 edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup thus far. Six of the seven highest scores in the tournament’s history have come in this edition, and it is also the first edition to feature more than one century.

According to former West Indies international and broadcaster Ian Bishop, this is part of an evolution of the game. “I think you’re seeing the evolution of the game, where with each passing World Cup, the better teams are becoming more dynamic, and the lower-ranked teams are getting left behind with regards to their power,” Bishop told reporters at a JioStar Media Day.

“We’ve had some really good batting conditions, and I think the groundstaff and the grounds where we’ve played deserve some kudos for leaving enough grass on the pitch for the ball to come on. The ball hasn’t ragged square on too many of the pitches, but I think it’s the evolution and the advancement of the women’s game,” he said.

Formerly a fast bowler himself, Bishop expressed a desire to see more fast bowlers in the women’s game.

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“This is where bowlers have to catch up. One of the big things that I feel going forward is that we have to give more autonomy to organisations to find some more fast bowling and seam bowling options in the women’s game.

I think the women’s game has got to a point now where it stands on its own. But I want to see more seam-bowling options come through because we have a lot of spin, and that’s a good thing, but we need to put a search on to find more dynamic fast bowling,” he said.

Bishop called for teams to scout for more dynamic fast bowlers to bolster their chances in an ever-changing landscape.
| Photo Credit:
AFP

‘Windies capable, but need to lift standards’

Meanwhile, Bishop’s native region, West Indies, has qualified for a second consecutive semifinal where it will face Australia 10 years on from its famous final victory over the same opponent in 2016.

Bishop noted that having just suffered a surprise defeat to Ireland, West Indies would have to up its game in order to make the final, saying, “The West Indies are going to have to lift their game significantly. It’s capable, for Hayley Matthews and Deandra Dottin, who haven’t really fired yet. We’ve seen some good things from Stephanie Taylor, so hopefully she’s fit, Shemaine Campbell had a good outing.

One or two of those big players are going to have to stand tall, simply because Australia have decent enough bowling resources, are very experienced in the spin department, and their batting depth and power is amongst the best in the game, certainly in the top two.

So whatever happens at the toss, the West Indies are going to have to bat a lot better than they’ve batted before in this tournament.”

He also expressed his hope that Chinelle Henry, who did not bowl in the Ireland defeat due to a knee injury, would be fit, saying, “Chinelle Henry is a vital, vital piece of the puzzle, and she had injuries in the last game, so hopefully she is fit. That to me is a big thing.”

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Crowd attendance a big positive

The tournament has been well-attended, with the record attendance for a Women’s T20 World Cup group-stage match having been breached thrice (first with the India-Pakistan match, followed by the England-New Zealand and India-Australia matches).

Bishop was quick to praise the recent growth of the women’s game, and also noted that but for the busy sporting calendar, attendance figures could have gone even higher.

“The women’s game is a standalone thing,” Bishop noted. “I think we’ve talked about that for a couple of years now, even just as the pandemic started. It has grown to the point where my little girl, just as an example close to me, now loves the game. She wants to play cricket every day.

She never used to play, wasn’t interested, and now at school she wants to play every cricket game, and I’m sure that is reflected across other nations. I have been to a lot more age group games in Trinidad in the last couple of years because of my daughter and I have seen the love and passion for the game.

So the gospel has been spreading more and more, and that is reflected also in the attendance. I still think that there’s a lot going on, the football World Cup, the Test series with the men, Wimbledon starting, that the numbers could have been better otherwise. So I think the women’s game is growing,” he said.

Bishop underlined the importance of a better batting display from the West Indies if the side wanted to stand a chance against the mighty Aussies.
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Getty Images

Associate cricket and the growth of the game

Bishop also reflected on the performance of the teams who got to the World Cup through the Qualifiers, singling out Netherlands, Ireland, and Scotland for their impressive displays and noting that they could only improve through further professionalism and opportunities.

“I’m big on having the lower-ranked nations elevate themselves, because they bring a lot to the game. Where we see them falling short is only because they have not had the opportunity to play against more high-level competition, to play professionally and rub shoulders, apart from a few players, with the other great players in the game. If we can get the balance of that, we will see much more of a challenging situation from these teams,” he noted.

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Bishop also queried whether the administration of the women’s game could benefit from becoming specialised.

“If we give more autonomy to the women’s game, I don’t know if it’s right to say this or not, but I feel that we can specialise in the administrations that run the women’s game, give them autonomy, so that they have all the attention at the local, territorial, country boards, and maybe at the top governing body, to pour more into the women’s game, and it will get even better. That would be my cry from here. A lot of work has gone into that, but I still want to see more.”

(Watch ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 semi-finals, Australia vs West Indies on June 30, and England vs South Africa on July 2, LIVE on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network)

Published on Jun 29, 2026