Jane and Jill — the pioneers who created a rich legacy

The scoreboard said: Jane Powell and Jill Powell 63 not out.

Jane smiles at the memory. The twins were part of an England side that toured India.

“The scorer could not tell us apart, so he added our runs together and bracketed us together,” Jane tells The Hindu during the T20 Women’s World Cup match between the West Indies and Scotland at Headingley on Thursday.

Jill adds it was difficult for most people to identify them correctly. “So I will tell them, I am the pretty one, and Jane is the intelligent one,” smiles Jill, and shows an old black-and-white photograph in which she is wearing a white skirt (women’s teams from countries like England and Australia used to be dressed thus those days).

Jane has had a more distinguished career in cricket. She led England in a cricket World Cup final, scored a Test century and was in 2023 elected as the first female president of Yorkshire County Cricket Club. She also played hockey for Great Britain. “I could have played at the Moscow Olympics, but could not because of the boycott,” she says.

She is happy that women’s cricket finally is getting its due. “When we played Australia in the final of the 1988 World Cup, only 3,000 people had turned up, when the Melbourne Cricket Ground’s capacity was 90,000,” says Jane.

In 2020 at the same venue, more than 86,000 fans watched Australia play India in the final of the Women’s T20 World Cup. A reflection of the distance women’s cricket has travelled.

“It is great that there is now good money in women’s cricket,” says Jill. “Back in our day, it was very difficult for us. The Indian girls were at least lucky that they had jobs.”

Both the twins have enjoyed their time in India. “I will never forget a meeting we had with the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi,” says Jane.

“And I remember batting for 73 minutes in the second innings – making seven not out – to save a match at Ahmedabad.

“India had excellent bowlers those days, like Shubhangi Kulkarni, who was such a difficult leg-spinner to tackle. India also had good seamers like Susan Itticheria.”

It is ironic that women play fewer Tests now. “We need more Tests for women,” says Jane.

“We are all looking forward to the England-India Test at Lord’s next month after the World Cup final.” That is the first-ever women’s Test at the home of cricket.