The Women’s T20 World Cup in England has competition. The football World Cup kicked off on the other side of the Atlantic a day earlier. Since England is playing in what is arguably the greatest sporting event on the planet, there is considerable interest across this football-mad nation. Home to the Premier League, England has fans all over the world, including India, where players from Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea are often more familiar to fans than those from local clubs like East Bengal or Kerala Blasters. You will find several fan organisations in places like Kerala supporting major English clubs.

So here in England, you come across fans assembling in pubs to watch World Cup action from the United States, Canada and Mexico. There are, however, plenty of takers for the Women’s T20 World Cup too. I have met people who have driven for hours to watch matches at Edgbaston in Birmingham, for the opening match between England and Sri Lanka, and the India-Pakistan encounter the following day. One such fan is Hemal Kumar, an avid follower of women’s cricket, along with his family and friends. They live in Leicester and are originally from Surat.

“I made plans as soon as the ICC announced the World Cup schedule,” Hemal says. “I started following women’s cricket closely after Harmanpreet Kaur’s 171 not out against Australia in the 2017 World Cup semifinal. I was heartbroken when India lost the final. It was great watching India beat Pakistan here at Edgbaston.” Hemal was part of a large crowd made up mostly of people of Indian origin. Pakistan did not have as many supporters as one might have expected, given Birmingham’s demographics.

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Like India, another favourite, England, also got off to a strong start. Riding on opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge’s 62-ball 105 not out, the host made 219 for one, the highest score in the tournament’s history, and romped home by 87 runs.

Cricket administrators believe an England triumph would be a big boost to the women’s game in the country. Counties like Warwickshire, whose home ground is Edgbaston, are investing heavily in women’s cricket. James Thomas (pic, below), who took over at Warwickshire as performance director from Gavin Larsen, a former New Zealand seamer and current selection manager of the Kiwi men’s team, believes the women’s game has the potential to grow further.

Thomas also has an interesting background. He moved to Warwickshire after serving as director of performance services at Manchester City Football Club. He has also worked in judo, gymnastics, rugby and athletics. “Cricket is a new, fresh challenge for me,” he tells me. “I think cricket will get a boost with the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The Olympics after that is going to be hosted by Brisbane, and that should help too, as cricket is big in Australia.”

Edgbaston is already looking forward to the Test against Australia next summer. Matthew Joule, Head of Media & Communications at Warwickshire County Cricket Club, says construction of the new hotel inside the stadium will be completed by then. “It will be a value addition to the ground,” he says. “We will have 146 rooms, the half of which will have a view to the cricket on the ground.”

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Back to football once again. Larry Adeyemo (pic, below) is an engineer with a railway company here, but he was once an aspiring footballer who had shown promise at school. His mother, however, wanted him to become a doctor or an engineer.

“Footballers are lazy people,” she used to tell him. “Now she is taking my kids to football. Her views on the game have changed. And my son has represented Britain in powerlifting.”

Larry, who lives in London, is hopeful of a good showing from England at the football World Cup, especially with Thomas Tuchel as coach. He smiles broadly when you tell him that you interviewed Tuchel at an ayurvedic centre near Thrissur in Kerala a month after he parted ways with Chelsea.

That was the first time Tuchel had spoken publicly about his departure from Chelsea.

Larry has an Indian connection too. He was born in Chennai when his father, a Nigerian, was working in India as an engineer. “My father and I have been planning to come to India for a long time,” he says. “Maybe later this year.”

PODCAST | Watch Sportstar’s Matchpoint Paradox where the team dissects India’s loss to South Africa and how the semifinal race is shaping up in the Women’s T20 World Cup

Published on Jun 23, 2026

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