Connor reiterated that the women's game should be able to stand on its own with the way it's growing with even the nations like Afghanistan and Papua New Guinea taking up to it.

"It has to stand on its own feet. It is a brilliant spectacle in its own right. The players are talented and they deserve support. The way the game is growing, and in countries where we would have never expected it to, like Afghanistan and Papua New Guinea. "The fact that Pakistan came to this tournament despite the political circumstances, there is a real belief in it. Women's sport is on a journey and we cannot expect things to click overnight. We have got to win hearts and minds and I hope this tournament has done that," she said. Connor also praised the West Indies board for supporting the women's game, that has resulted in the team entering its maiden final in the tournament that ended yesterday. "Four years ago, West Indies were not playing much cricket and there were questions about them retaining their ODI status. Following integration, the WICB have backed the women's game hugely. "That is a great message that by backing it and giving it people such as the coach Sherwin Campbell, giving it specialist coaching, it turned the West Indies team around in a short period of time. Asked whether Indian women needed a male coach, she said the best person irrespective of gender needs to be appointed. "It has to be the best person available for the job. The New Zealand team are coached by a woman, Katrina Keenan. I don't think it matters if the coach is male or female. It has to be the person who has the best approach and ideas about taking the team forward."