Women's T20 World Cup: MCC members urged to attend final
What's the story
The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has appealed to its members to attend the 2026 ICC Women's T20 World Cup final at Lord's on Sunday, regardless of England's performance in their semi-final against South Africa. The appeal was made by Robert Lawson, the club's chief executive and secretary, who stressed the importance of avoiding a repeat of the incident in the 2017 Women's World Cup final.
Reputation risk
Lawson addresses previous criticism
Lawson emphasized that it is "vital to MCC's reputation" to have a full house for the final. He referred to the 2017 Women's ODI World Cup final, which drew 24,000 fans to England's thrilling nine-run victory over India. However, members-only areas at the pavilion end remained sparsely populated. The club faced criticism from both members and media for this disparity.
Final appeal
Lawson's letter and ticket sales record
In his letter, Lawson wrote, "On Sunday, we have the honor of hosting the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Final." He asked members to show their continued support for the game and their club by using their tickets and attending the match. Notably, the tournament has seen enthusiastic attendance with over 160,000 tickets sold across all matches, a new record for a women's ICC event.
Gender imbalance
ICEC report highlights gender disparity at MCC
The Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) report also criticized the MCC, stating that "the 'home of cricket' is still a home principally for men." The club only allowed women to join its membership in 1998. Today, it has some 18,350 full members but less than 3% of them are women.
Milestone match
Historic Women's Test for England at Lord's
The ICEC report also highlighted that England Women have never played a Test match at Lord's. However, this will be revised next week when England take on India in a historic Women's Test at the iconic venue. Despite this development, the club is concerned about the optics of this weekend and has issued a call to arms.