TV money needs investing across that gender gap

The ECB today announced a new seven-year deal with ESPN STAR Sports (ESS) for the exclusive multi-platform rights to broadcast ECB's domestic and home international programme across all the broadcaster's territories in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.

ESS are the ECB's current broadcast partner in the region, having held the contract for the past five years.

The new agreement, which runs from 2013 to 2019, will encompass more than 300 days of live international cricket, including India's next two tours to England in 2014 and 2018 and three home Ashes series scheduled for 2013, 2015 and 2019.

As well as covering all England's home Investec Tests, NatWest Series and NatWest International T20 fixtures, the deal will also give ESS the right to transmit 60 days' coverage every season from all ECB's key domestic competitions: the LV=County Championship, Clydesdale Bank 40 and Friends Life t20 competitions plus selected England Lions, England Under-19s...

...and lastly (and I suspect leastly) England women's matches. We need to channel more of this cash and more of this attention into the female game. But the ECB chefs still seem intently focused on the lucrative men's tests and one-day internationals.

But the cricket chiefs are not tuning in.

ECB Chief Executive David Collier said: "This new agreement demonstrates the enormous appetite for cricket worldwide and the global pulling power of a successful England team and a vibrant county game.

"In a challenging economic climate with all sports facing tough competition for funding streams, it will also provide an important source of additional revenue for funding the development of our game at all levels.

"TV audiences for cricket are expanding rapidly in Asia and the Middle East and we look forward to working closely with ESS to give both our international and county teams the widest possible TV exposure over the next seven years."

The next seven years is important and audiences are expanding rapidly, but not just across countries and continents, there is also the ever widening gender gap that still exists in a sport owned by men.

A little investment would go a long way in the women's game, we need to move beyond the boundaries of the occasional highlights package from a one-day international. That are some skillful players out there that deserve the coverage and the plaudits.

After all, England's women are one of the most successful teams of all time.