Isa Guha: England is the worst for misogynist remarks

Cricket is a gentlemans game The lords at Lords swear by this line So what do you do if youre a woman cricketer Make your own rules or rewrite them Isa Guha who is doing commentary for the ongoing World Cup with Channel 4 England Star Sports BBC Radio and Fox Sports believes so She was the first South Asian origin woman to represent England in any sport in 2002 rose to become Wisdens No 1 bowler in 2009 and is now a popular broadcaster The former cricketer with Bengali roots continues to break new ground across male dominated arenasEdited excerpts from the interviewCommentary is no longer about pretty faces What challenge did you face in the early daysId hear Get back in the kitchen and Youve never played the mens game People are waking up to the fact that women add a different perspective While there is a big difference in power there are still a lot of similarities in terms of mindset team ethos preparation and skill set across the womens and mens gameIs sport still a male domainYouve got to ignore the regressive comments I was taken aback by positive feedback in Australia where I expected a lot more resistance Across the world there is 90 per cent support for what we do However Im sad to say that in my experience England is probably the worst for misogynist remarksHow is womens cricketrun today Can tournaments like the mini IPL league helpAbsolutely A womens IPL has been on the cards for a long time The womens game is only going to grow but its important that the right infrastructure is in place and the best teams dont pull away from the pack both at the international and domestic level World Cups have shown there is an appetite for womens cricket with huge numbers tuning in We are also seeing that now on the domestic front with the Big Bash in Australia and Kia Super League in EnglandWhat are Englands chances in this World CupTheyve got the squad to do it but it is about so much more in tournament play Its about being ruthless in critical moments and believing in yourself no matter what mdash something Australia have always been good atWhat do you think about the lack of an equal pay structureIn broadcast my view is that if youre doing the same job as your male counterpart you should be paid the same There is also a value that you set yourself at depending on where youre at in your career mdash based on experience and ability As a woman cricketer I felt privileged to play for my country Women have been afraid to ask for what they deserve mdash something that the men are good at However I see this changingYou are an MPhil in Neuroscience having done in research on alzheimers and dementia Why did you take up that upThis was always the original career path mdash I am particularly interested in how the brain works at the chemical level We know very little about our neural circuitry and how it can lead to decisionmaking I am keen to explore this in sportRapid fireWomenrsquos cricketer to watch out for Sophie Ecclestone EnglandMale cricketer yoursquod like to bowl to I was fortunate to bowl to Sachin in the nets at Lords so I would say Brian LaraCricketing mantra that held you in good stead Watch the ball Simple but effectiveWhen you arenrsquot commentating you are Listening to music or attending gigsInspirational personality off the field Kath Koschel kindnessfactoryCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates