WESTERN Storm are at the forefront of a nationwide revolution that promises to bring more women's sport into the people's living rooms than ever before this summer.

Last year saw a staggering 23 per cent rise in television viewing figures for female sport, with women's cricket leading the way.

Although, netball, football and rugby union played a part, it was England's heroics at the ICC World Cup that caught the imagination of the nation and persuaded sports-lovers to tune into women's sport in unprecedented numbers.

England's thrilling nine-run win over India at Lords in the ICC final was Sky Sports' most-watched women's sporting event ever, attracting a peak audience of more than 1.1 million viewers.

Having captained England to glory at the home of cricket, Heather Knight proceeded to lead Western Storm to a memorable triumph in the 2017 Kia Super League, another competition covered by Sky.

So successful was the KSL's second season, that Sky have committed to bigger and better coverage of women's cricket by .announcing plans to screen 12 live games in the domestic T20 competition this year.

And defending champions Storm will feature in at least of those TV dates, beginning with their curtain-raising home fixture against Yorkshire Diamonds at Taunton's Cooper Associates Ground on Sunday, July 22.

Knight and her teammates will again play in front of the cameras when they host Loughborough Lightning at Taunton on Sunday, July 29, while the return fixture at Edgbaston on Wednesday, August 15 has also been selected for live screening.

Of course, finals day at Hove on Bank Holiday Monday, August 27, will also be featured on Sky, and Storm are determined to be there to defend their title.

"It's great for women's sport in general and really good news for cricket in particular," said Knight. "We had games go out live for the first time last season and I think it was a success. It must have been, because they've come back and done a deal to show even more this year.

"It helps raise the profile of our game and you can see that in the support we attract. We had great backing last year, especially in games at Taunton. And it's not the same people turning up all the time - there are plenty of new faces appearing.

"Having women's cricket on TV helps spread the word and puts our game on the map. This is a great opportunity for us to attract even more girls to play the game."