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PEAK PERFORMANCE

At such a young age, being the captain attention to the sport. Yes, we do have world. But Singapore has not been able

of the national women’s team must a decent number of people who play to achieve the same level of popularity as

be very demanding. What challenges in Singapore, especially in men’s cricket. these countries for women’s cricket.

did you face to get to where you are However, just in general, awareness and Globally, it is on the rise and was boosted

today? exposure of the game can be improved recently with the T20 Women’s World
I was given the responsibility to be the and build on. It is a rapidly growing sport Cup Final in Australia. It had the largest

captain just last year. I am still in the in countries outside Singapore. number of spectators in women’s

process of learning and trying to “The adrenaline rush I feel when I play, and cricket history where major
change the ‘ecosystem’ of wom- especially during a match that is really tight powerhouses, India and Australia,
en’s cricket, in the local context at faced each other for the title in

least. Of course, being given the could go either way - to me that’s the best kind March. I hope it will continue to
new and important role as captain, of cricket that can be played.” grow especially in Singapore and
expectations of mine and the the public recognise the quality of

team’s performances naturally cricket for both genders.

will be raised. As a player myself,

I constantly find ways to improve Where do you see women’s

in the technical aspects of the cricket in 10 years? And where

game I specialise in-wicket keep- do you see yourself in that

ing and batting. vision?

Ina decade’s time I would very

With regards to the team, I much like to see women’s cricket

will always make the effort to be in the Olympics and every

motivate the players and try my other international sporting

best to get everyone together competition. I envision us to

and train as a team. Sometimes, qualify for the World Cup and

I do ask for advice from the engaging Test-playing countries

men’s team captain, Amjad, as regularly. Of course, it will take

he has faced similar situations in his time effort but this could definitely be a feasible

as captain. plan to work on especially considering

that our neighbouring country, Thailand,

Another challenge for me was the crucial participated in the recent T20 World Cup

decisions I had to make along the way for the first time in history and can really

as I started to become even more seri- motivate other countries in Southeast Asia

ous about the sport. Last year when I was to try harder.

appointed the new captain, I was given

the opportunity to go to India, the land of Any thoughts on the recent Women’s

cricket, to the National Cricket Academy, T20 World Cup in Australia?

Bangalore (NCA). As a captain it was a This whole Women’s T20 World Cup 2020

great opportunity for me to gain experi- campaign was very successful. The main

ence so that when I came back, I could team I personally supported was Australia.

share what I’d learnt and seen with the On the side, Thailand was also another

players here. team that I sincerely wished the best for.

(Top): Shafina with fellow course mates at the To see them play at that level and give

As a polytechnic graduate, I wanted to fur- National Cricket Academy in Bangalore (Source other big teams a tough challenge was
ther my education in university. I had been www.espncricinfo.com / Shaifina Mahesh). such an inspiration. Thailand is the one
accepted into university but since the trip (Above): Shafina with Smriti Mandhana from team that we personally knew some of the
was a month long, I had to postpone my India’s Women’s Cricket Team players and it was such a proud moment

admission so that I could go on the trip We need to improve the support system for us to see them play and do well in the

and gain all the expertise I could to share with the help of Sports SG, who are the tournament. I have to say Shafali Verma

with my own team mates. main sports body promoting sports in Sin- from the Indian team was one of the most

gapore. This support system can include promising players and everyone can look

As a captain, trying to expand the pool of permanent professional coaches for both forward to her performing consistently

players we have is the main obstacle I face. the women’s and men’s teams. Currently well in the future. At the age of only 16

In Singapore, cricket is not so very popular there are short-term contract coaches who years old, she has already made a name

with the general public so the process of train us for international tournaments. for herself. This definitely serves as an

recruiting players poses a tough chal- Another area could be getting physio- inspiration for the young players who are

lenge. We are still working on this with the therapists who specialise in the sport of interested in furthering their careers in

association, as well as amongst ourselves. cricket, as recovery and fitness of the the sport.

We strongly hope that the pool of players players regularly needs to be monitored to

will expand in time to come. achieve optimal results. If you could give a piece of advice to

In your opinion, what is the general aspiring women cricketers in Singa-

Do you feel Singapore provides enough perception of women’s Cricket in Sin- pore, what would it be?

attention to the sport of cricket? What gapore, or even around the globe? Great things can come when you step out

could improve? I am optimistic as it is definitely growing in of your comfort zone. Do come join us to

Frankly, Singapore could provide more popularity in other countries around the grow women’s cricket together!

Shikhar Vol. 2 No. 2 2020 21