Today, women’s sports are undergoing a major transformation. The change is dramatic, especially in cricket and football, sports previously seen as non-traditional for women. These sports are experiencing a surge in player numbers, an increase in revenue, sustained sponsorship, record crowds, improved recognition, media and television coverage, and advances in governance. This has led to a greater thirst for and curiosity about the players’ stories. In turn, this has resulted in the timely commercialisation of their histories.

Take cricket. Books on cricket and cricketers have enjoyed a flourishing publishing history since the 1860s. Generations of elite male cricketers have been well served, with thousands of words devoted to their lives. Those without their own narrative have been effortlessly included in books devoted to every permutation of cricket imaginable.