Record World Cup audiences. Full time professional athletes. Kit that still isn't made for women. Across cricket, female players are being handed shorts with pouches designed for men's protective boxes, while girls at grassroots level are left changing behind trees. Now, five professional players have joined Maiden Cricket's new Player Advisory Board to make a change.
In a tough year for women’s sport on TV, cricket bucked the trend. This summer’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup was the most-watched edition yet, with UK broadcast reach up 95% to 3.8 million. England Women’s matches also drew higher average audiences than England Men’s T20 series against India, according to the Women’s Sport Trust’s latest visibility report, Beyond the Boundary.
But the basics haven't caught up to the cameras. 64% of girls leave sport by 16, with more than a third citing kit as a reason. The ECB’s 2026 guidance acknowledges the problem, calling for female-specific clothing that fits properly and accounts for different body shapes and periods. Girls shouldn’t have to fight their kit to stay in the game.
Former England international Alex Hartley has spoken about the sexism and unacceptable behaviour she experienced during her playing career. She recalls an inappropriate incident in a dressing room, alongside repeated demeaning remarks from men who questioned her team’s ability simply because a girl was playing.
Still a child or teenager at the time, Hartley says the comments became so commonplace that she learned to keep her head down and carry on playing the sport she loved.
Former professional cricketer Fi Morris remembers asking a kit sponsor for clothing designed specifically for women, only to be told the company supplied youth kit.
“There’s a difference here. I’m a 25-year-old woman, not a young boy,” Morris recalls telling the sponsor.
“Until around two years ago, even the shorts we were given as professional players had pouches designed for boxes. Some of the best players in the world have still been playing in kit designed for men. Earlier this year, I was involved in a situation where the men’s measurements had been used for a women’s game. How is this still happening when we’re full-time professionals?”
For Morris, it was about more than discomfort. It left her feeling that female athletes were not valued in the same way as men, and at club level the barriers became so great that she stepped away from cricket between the ages of 20 and 23.
The problem extends beyond kit. Morris remembers changing behind a tree as a young player, while Naomi Dattani recalls changing behind buildings or in unsuitable rooms because clubs lacked proper facilities for women and girls. Former professional Phoebe Graham said: “Having to get changed in toilets because there weren’t female-specific changing rooms was a reality for many of us.”
Hartley also remembers struggling with pads that were too big and heavy, with straps that did not fit properly. “Pads for me were always a nightmare, the straps were always too long and pads too big and too heavy.” Although she has seen girls increasingly included by clubs rather than treated as an afterthought, she wants the next generation to grow up knowing cricket is a sport for them.
For Durham wicketkeeper-batter Mia Rogers, kit, equipment and cost should never stand between a girl and the game.
“I wouldn’t want a girl not to play because of the kit, access to equipment or the cost of getting involved. You want every girl to have the opportunity to play, and then keep playing because she loves the game.”
It is the reason Maiden Cricket exists. Sisters Honor and Cat Black founded the brand in Chichester in 2024 after growing up playing in kit designed for boys and men. Maiden now creates clothing, teamwear and equipment specifically for women and girls, guided by its principle: “Built for her. Not adapted from his.”
The new Player Advisory Board brings together Hartley, Graham, Dattani, Morris and Rogers.
Co-founder Honor Black said: “The women’s game has moved forward, but the kit hasn’t kept up. Cat and I know that feeling, and I don’t want the next generation to accept it. We are so driven and excited to be bringing professional players into our Maiden team, who will develop the kit alongside us for what female cricketers actually need.”
Graham shares that view: “We can’t just copy and paste what we already know and expect it to work for everyone. To be part of a brand driving change in cricket, and to use our own negative experiences to shape better choices for future generations, is an incredible opportunity. We can draw on what we’ve been through to push for practical, meaningful change.”
The Player Advisory Board will have an even bigger platform through Maiden’s new 12-month partnership with Wisden. Bringing together one of cricket’s most iconic media names, Maiden and leading professional players, the partnership will amplify the voices, experiences and needs of women and girls across the game. It began with a defining moment at The Oval, where the players put their names to Maiden’s Player Advisory Board and committed to helping shape what comes next.
As Wisden’s Official Women’s & Girls’ Cricket Kit Partner, Maiden will take those voices to a wider audience through Women’s Cricket Weekly, bespoke player-led content and a programme building towards an inaugural Wisden x Maiden cricket match and festival in September 2027, celebrating the women’s and girls’ game and creating a powerful platform for visibility, voice and change.
Wisden's Commercial Director Toby Phillips said: “As the independent voice of cricket, we’re hugely committed to championing the women’s game and helping it grow. We’re delighted to support Maiden’s work to shine a light on the experiences and perspectives of women and girls in cricket.''
Maiden works with clubs, schools, universities and County Boards across the UK, including a partnership with professional services group Gateley supporting young female players through kit sponsorship. The brand has built a community of over 350 ambassadors, received offers from all five Dragons on BBC One’s Dragons’ Denin August 2026 and expanded into the US through Maiden Cricket U.S.
The audiences have arrived. Now, the players say, the kit has to catch up.