Wisden Accolade Heralds a New Era in the Women's Game

Wisden casts aside 120 years of male domination today by choosing a woman, the England batsman Claire Taylor, as one of its five Cricketers Of The Year. The cricketers' bible bestows its favors with utmost solemnity and will have pondered upon the decision as earnestly as the Church on the subject of women priests.

Proper recognition for women in cricket has come slowly. Half a century ago, an England captain, Len Hutton, carped: "Ladies playing cricket - absurd. Just like a man trying to knit." A little more than 10 years ago, women were allowed in the Long Room at Lord's for the first time and because of the long waiting list there are still fewer than 100 full members today.

But Taylor, at 33 the elder statesman of the England team, hopes that her admission into what until today had been an exclusively male preserve will be another small step towards equality. "This is the most media exposure I have ever had," she said. "I hope that this can help lift the profile of the women's game."

Taylor's award concludes a spectacular 12 months for England women's cricket, which included victory in the World Cup final in Australia last month when she was named player of the tournament. But Wisden's deliberations concern only 2008 and it was her part in England's regaining of the Ashes in Australia last year that is deemed worthy of recognition. She batted England to victory in the final Test in Bowral and finished the year ranked as the No1 women's batsman in the world.

Perhaps Wisden is hoping for an omen. The England men's team, beaten in their past two Test series in India and the West Indies, and still to appoint a coach with the Ashes barely three months away, needs all the help it can get.

Scyld Berry, Wisden's editor, and a man not afraid of left-field decisions, defended himself against any suspicions of political correctness. "Beating Australia in Australia is the objective for all cricketers, at least in England, and Claire almost single-handedly saw England through to victory. It would be a sin of omission, an act of prejudice, to exclude her.

"Wisden has never set any parameters of gender or nationality for the Five Cricketers, and there is no element of political correctness about this selection. Taylor has been chosen on merit, for being pre-eminent in her form of the game. The England Women have been the pride of the nation as far as cricket is concerned."

There was genuine delight within cricket's higher echelons about Wisden's decision to honor Taylor alongside England's James Anderson and three South Africans: Dale Benkenstein, captain of county champions Durham, Neil McKenzie and Mark Boucher.

Giles Clarke, chairman of the ECB, for whom the women's game has brought rare good cheer recently, said: "I'm absolutely delighted for Claire who has worked hard to achieve the status as the best batter in the women's game, and I'm delighted for the England women's team. This is Claire's award, but it is a breakthrough for the whole game."

Taylor's England debut came 10 years ago. "When I started playing cricket it was all long socks and cricket skirts. They were hard on the knees when you dived around in the field. We moved to trousers in the mid-Nineties. Suddenly we had the freedom to be much more athletic."

The measure of England's improvement can be seen this summer. A women's World Twenty20 competition will be run in parallel with the men's tournament, with the women's semi-finals and final played as a warm-up to the main event. Wisden's timing, as ever, has been impeccable.