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Oman Cricket rewarded for initiating women into cricket
19 Jul, 2024
The project, '100% Cricket Female Cricket Initiative of the Year', has led to immediate impact in the country, with 16 teams participating in soft ball tournaments, as well as nine teams transitioning to hard ball cricket league play, building a pathway for young women to move into competitive cricket nationally, said the ICC
Oman were announced the winners of ‘100% Cricket Female Cricket Initiative of the Year’ award by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
“Aiming to redefine the landscape of women's cricket in the country, Oman launched the Cricket4Her programme, building an environment that encourages talent development, skill enhancement and empowerment,” said a statement from the ICC which announced the Global ICC Development Awards.
The project has led to immediate impact in the country, with 16 teams participating in soft ball tournaments, as well as nine teams transitioning to hard ball cricket league play, building a pathway for young women to move into competitive cricket nationally, said the ICC.
“I have been practicing cricket in Oman through few academies for the last three years. I got to know about this programme. It was basically a softball competition. [Before that] We had a camp, where we had a coach, gym sessions, indoor and outdoor practice matches. I really believe that the Cricket4Her programme really helped me for my cricketing journey to the national team,” said Sahana Jeelany, a participant in Cricket4Her.
“It is our duty to star here in Oman and promote women’s cricket. Cricket4Her was the ideal platform for them to start off,” said Duleep Mendis, Oman national team Head Coach.
“For us taking cricket to the grassroots was really important. We got articles published in newspapers. We posted videos on all our social media handles. We reached out to students in schools, which really got the young girls excited at the prospect of playing for Oman,” said Alkesh Joshi, Treasurer of Oman Cricket.
Chairman of Oman Cricket Mr Pankaj Khimji believes the achievement will put the country “on a pedestal”, as they take women's cricket “to greater heights”.
“We hope that we are able to take this to the next level, adding more schools, colleges and girls from local communities,” he said.
"Harnessing the family factor into cricket is going to be the major success factor for cricket in Oman.”
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Oman Cricket, women's cricket, ICC