Pak’s Asian Games gold medals pave the way for growth of women’s cricket

Despite the encouragement female players get by their families after Pakistan’s Asian golds, the sport lacks facilities which remains an obstacle in he upliftment of women’s cricket

There’s no doubt how big cricket is in Pakistan. Fans go all out for the men’s team, proclaim them to be heroes. In comparison, only a handful of families support the dreams of a female cricketer in the country wanting to pursue the sport.

Pakistan left-arm spinner Anam Amin, who has also won back-to-back Player of the match awards, says that the Asian gold medals have done the trick for Pakistan’s women cricket in the country. (Getty Images)

However, two Asian Games gold medals (Guangzhou 2010 and Incheon 2014) have changed all that. Today, women are encouraged to take up cricket.

“My mother used to stop me from going to play cricket, saying our society is not like that, but my father always supported me. He used to tell my mother to let me go and play. My uncle motivated me to pursue cricket. But nowadays, because of our two Asian gold medals and the growth of cricket, a lot of talent can be seen in Pakistan. Today parents are allowing their daughters to take up cricket as a sport,” says Pakistan left-arm spinner Anam Amin, who has won back-to-back player of the match awards in the ongoing World T20.

While encouragement was in abundance for Pakistan’s mainstay in batting Bismah Maroof, she says it is the sad state of facilities that is still an obstacle in promoting women’s cricket.

“There is no dearth of talent and a little support at the domestic level can do a lot for women’s cricket. But there is unavailability of grounds for practice. If we are given grounds I am sure we can do much better,” Maroof feels.