The Identity Shift: Cricket and Motherhood
When an athlete becomes a mother, there is an incredible identity shift. With it comes a sense of doubt from within and outside.
In the cricket sphere, motherhood, until now, signalled the end of a player's career, and the sight of female cricketers making a comeback postpartum was rare.
Intense Identity Shift
Doubling up the jobs, athletes have to deal with more than one persona: being an athlete, a mother, and an athlete-mother.
This dual identity is a burden, to say the least. Although juggling the two roles was deemed impractical in the yesteryear, elite cricketers in the recent past have successfully transitioned into the roles.
Rebelling against traditional ideas and consciously regaining their self-identity through sports whilst also upholding the ideals of being a 'good mother'.
Unfortunately, scientific research on postpartum physiology and sports is scant, in addition to their identity crisis.
Why can't women have it all? Why can women only either be a good mother or a good athlete? Why the disparity?
Cricketer mothers: Spectrum of struggles and parental policies
The celebrated Pakistani all-rounder Bismah Maroof made a resounding impact at the ICC Women's World Cup when she was pictured entering the field with a toddler in tow - a picture worth a thousand words.
Bismah openly admitted to having been uncertain about her return to the sport, "It seemed all's over."
But as soon as she announced her pregnancy, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) expeditiously put together a 'Parental Support Policy'. As a result, Maroof was entitled to 12 months of paid maternity leave and a guaranteed contract extension. She was also allowed to bring her mother as a support person on tours postpartum. PCB was lauded for its policy, and rightly so.
Meanwhile, in a much more progressive land, 2,254 kilometers away from Maroof, New Zealand's centrally-contracted player Amy Satterthwaite announced she was expecting her first child with her wife and teammate Lea Tahuhu. Satterthwaite was fortunate enough to be playing for a board with broad-minded ideas and policies, though her struggles were contrasting.
She elucidated on her physical struggles and the change in her body post-pregnancy. Cricket is a sport that demands extreme physical labour, and she was unsure whether she would ever be able to return to her peak fitness levels.
With the pregnancy announcement, New Zealand Cricket brought to light their first ‘Pregnancy Provisions’ policy along with their ‘Women's Master Agreement’ (WMA). The WMA guaranteed her a contract extension and full core salary during a year of maternity leave without the obligation of training. At the same time, Tahuhu received two weeks of paid leave after the child's birth.
ICC and its lack of directives
While some cricket boards have been proactive with their parental policies, most continue to overlook their role.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) currently has no directives or provisions for child-bearing players and their partners.
When it comes to policies, any decisions taken by the ICC trickle down to local governing bodies. Clearly, ICC have to be the ones pushing the directives and making the sport more inclusive.
Taking the prestigious BCCI as an example, a board with no shortage of funds currently has zero maternity leave policies. Virat Kohli, the former captain, was bombarded with hefty criticism for taking a month-long paternity leave, leaving us wondering where we stand as a country when it comes to humanising the sport.
BCCI, compared to PCB, a board belonging to a culturally conservative country, lags in progressive policies.
Then why is the cash-rich board of world cricket so negligent on the policies regarding inclusivity? Perhaps they are too busy with using their players as pawns for printing greenbacks.
 "Gargi Raut")
