Claire Taylor: One of the best.

As the website espncricinfo.org shows, women’s cricket shadows the men’s game in every particular—in the types of cricket games played, the level of competition, and the skills exhibited. The only difference is that women’s matches get less media attention and sponsorship money, both of which inhibit the visibility of the sport. Nonetheless, the women’s game has progressed by leaps and bounds since the recently retired Claire Taylor started, over a decade ago, and she was one of those responsible for that progress. She was the first woman ever named one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year—an honor accorded few men. Unfortunately, she joins several women who have retired recently, which in turn highlights the difficulties women have in maintaining the length of career that most male players can enjoy. The women are mainly semi-professionals, which means that they have to organize their playing lives around paid jobs, family, and other concerns. Interestingly, male players have begun to voice their dissatisfaction with touring schedules that take them away from their families for long stretches of time, causing them to miss their children and marriages to break down.