Ticket sales for this year’s Women’s T20 World Cup in England have already passed the total for the 50-over tournament in 2017.
Five months before the start of the opening match on 12 June, more than 100,000 have been sold.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) hopes this can be a breakthrough summer for the women’s game in the UK, following on the success of the Lionesses in football and rugby union’s Red Roses in recent summers.
England won the 50-over World Cup on home soil in 2017 in a memorable at Lord’s, though it took the introduction of The Hundred for the women’s game to truly step forward.
England will be among the favourites for this year’s tournament but have underperformed at World Cups in recent years.
They have failed to reach the final of any of the past three T20 World Cups and lost to South Africa in the semi-finals of last year’s 50-over competition under new coach Charlotte Edwards.
Amid fervent support, hosts India beat the Proteas in the final and Edwards believes similar home backing this summer could help her side win the tournament for the first time since she captained England to victory in the inaugural World T20 in 2009.
“Having played in a home World Cup myself in 2009, I think it plays a massive part,” Edwards told BBC Sport.
“Being out in India and watching that all unfold out there, you really sense that home support and what that can do for the team and also what it can do for the game.
“That’s just as important to us, leaving a legacy for this tournament moving forward as we did in 2017 so it’s a really exciting time.”
England open the 12-team tournament against Sri Lanka at Edgbaston, with New Zealand, West Indies and two other qualifiers also in their group.
The final takes place on 5 July at Lord’s. Matches will also be played at Headingley, Old Trafford, The Oval, Bristol and Southampton.
Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt said: “It’s hugely exciting to have sold 100,000 tickets already for this summer’s World Cup, and amazing that we’ve already outsold the whole of the 2017 World Cup.
“That tournament really felt like a turning point for the women’s game in England and Wales.
“Our game’s audience grew so much basically overnight because of that tournament, and it’s unbelievable that more tickets have been sold six months out this time round than across that whole of 2017.”
