More than a game of cricket: the MCG final marks a decisive moment for women's sport | Megan Maurice | sport

EEvery game in this Twenty20 World Cup has led to this world record attempt for a women's sporting event at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the Sunday final between Australia and India. For months, Cricket Australia and the local organizing committee have boldly espoused their hopes of breaking the current record of 90,185 set at the 1999 Women's World Cup in the United States.

While Australia fell against India in the opening match of the tournament and then stumbled against Sri Lanka, there must have been bitten nails among the leaders of the tournament. The regroupment against Bangladesh and the victory over New Zealand to secure a place in the semi-finals gave a sigh of relief. And then time intervened.

Suddenly, the defeat against India was not the small setback that it appeared for the first time. In the absence of scheduled reserve days, this loss meant that if the semi-final was rainy, Australia was on the sidelines.

Finally, the match was played, Australia won and the campaign resumed. Unless there is an unexpected downpour in Melbourne on Sunday, there are no more obstacles to overcome.

A victory for Australia would be the icing on the cake from an administrative point of view. This final has become more than just a cricket match; it has the potential to be a defining moment for women's sport.

Earlier this year, American football star Megan Rapinoe made headlines when she spoke of wanting women's sport to be systematically marketed to adult fans, rather than relying on the narrative of the model and always target young girls.

You never see LeBron James purely positioned as inspiring young boys, said Rapinoe. No shit that inspires young boys. He fucks LeBron James, so why are we limiting ourselves this way?

No doubt there will be young girls among the thousands at MCG on Sunday. The next generation of Meg Lannings, Megan Schutts and Beth Mooneys will watch them, believing they will be able to play one day in front of a crowded CWM too. The importance of this visibility cannot be overstated.

But what we have seen with this Australian women's team in the past five years has been even greater than that. The momentum around the team has grown and the crowds and viewers have grown next to it.

It happened slowly enough that it was hardly noticeable. A reference to hitters instead of drummers here. Understand that Healy means Alyssa and not Ian there. And before we know it, people were standing around office kitchens to have long conversations about Ellyse Perrys' hamstrings and furious debates over whether it should be replaced by a versatile one or a specialized melon .

The conversation has changed and the media coverage with it. While there used to be a semi-regular stream of opinion columns from serious men bemoaning the lack of coverage of female sport before returning to their regular sport writing routine For men, there are now match reports and analyzes for each game. The day after the semi-final, the winning moments were plastered on the front and back pages of the country's main newspapers. Women's cricket is covered and describes how fans of the sport have always wanted it to be just cricket.

It is likely that even the organizers of the tournament had not considered this change when they announced their goal for the first time. The inclusion of Katy Perry playing an exclusive Australian show in the finale demonstrated a willingness to go after the girl's audience. But a press release that included ironic assurance that the singer had no connection with Ellyse meant that this tactic was little more than an insurance policy; work continued behind the scenes to ensure that cricket was the centerpiece of this event.

This is not the end point of this trip. It is a milestone and it should be celebrated. But there is still a lot to do before we can declare equality. When the media can have open comments on articles on women's sport without fear of abuse. When sports organizations stop talking about the value of playing just for the love of the game. These are just a few of the scenarios that need to change before you can really say that women in sport both on and off the field are on a par with their male counterparts.

While a world record crowd at the CWM, if that does not change everything, it is a symbol of the change that Australia can expect if we continue on this path. If sports organizations continue to set ambitious goals for women's sport and work hard to achieve them, this will become the new standard. Over time, the objectives do not seem as ambitious and the work will become easier. Yes, it will inspire young girls. But it will also create communities, remove barriers and make sport more inclusive.

While all eyes will be on Australian women this Sunday, they are just going out to play cricket, as they have done hundreds of times before. It's those in the crowd watching TV and talking about it in the dining rooms, which will do much more than that.