After Covid-19, women’s sports were majorly hit as it was vital for the sport industry to resume the sports that attracted more business and garnered more revenue so the automatic preference was given to male sports such as men’s cricket
31 May, 2022
PHOTO COURTESY: PCB
It has taken a great combined effort by the previous and current Pakistan Cricket Board leadership to bring back International Cricket to the country.
After Covid-19, women’s sports were majorly hit as it was vital for the sport industry to resume the sports that attracted more business and garnered more revenue so the automatic preference was given to male sports such as men’s cricket.
Women’s Cricket in Pakistan has been gradually growing and after the West Indies Women, visit of Srilanka Women’s Cricket Team will add to the promotion of the game in the country as it is also being telecasted on PTV Sports
The impact has been incredible already as Tuba Hassan, a young leg spinner made her debut for Pakistan on 24th May in the first T20 and impressed the cricketing fraternity with her calm, focused and exquisite execution of her cricketing skills especially her bowling and fielding. With the figures of 4 overs, 1 maiden, conceding only 8 runs and clinching 3 wickets. Shadab Khan, Pakistan’s star leggie himself called her ‘’a star in the making’’:
A star in the making. Great bowling Tuba Hassan, this is high quality leg spin. #BackOurGirls #PakistanZindabad https://t.co/ahn74sLO41
— Shadab Khan (@76Shadabkhan) May 24, 2022
It was surely a dream debut for Tuba Hassan and a great sight for aspiring female cricketers to see that dreams can come true and the unimaginable can be achieved by hardwork, dedication and belief. In terms of dream debuts, here is also a look at noteworthy debuts in women’s cricket across different formats of the game:
Most runs on debut:
Derryth Lynne Thomas: player from England made 134 runs on 23rd June, 1973 against International XI at Hove Ground.
The top 4 debuts (other than Derryth) debuts for most runs include:
NE Bolton, 124 runs against England in 2014 in Australia.
Mithali Raj, 114 not out in England against Ireland in 1999.
R Gandhi, 104 not out in England against Ireland in 1999.
M Musonda, 103 not out against Ireland in Zimbabwe in October 2021.
The record for best figures on debut in Test Matches is dominated by the English player: Myrtle Ethel Maclagan back in 1934 who bowled a whopping 11 maidens in 17 overs spell acquiring 7 wickets under her belt with an attractive economy of just 0.58.
The records are then enjoyed by the following individuals amongst others:
Anne Palmer bowled 13.2 overs in 1934 while playing against England and her spell included 4 maidens, 7 wickets and 18 runs conceded.
Lesley Johnston bowled 13.2 overs with 4 maidens giving 24 runs and taking 7 wickets against New Zealand back in 1972.
Irish player Isobel Mary Helen Cecilia Joyce bowled 11.1 overs, with 5 maidens, 21 runs conceded and grabbed 6 wickets against Pakistan in Dublin back in 2000.
Another Aussie Betty Rebecca Wilson dominated the history with a spell of 14 overs, 5 maidens, 28 runs conceded and seized 6 wickets against New Zealand back in 1948.
It is interesting to see how far women’s cricket has come and the way broadcast, sponsorships and commercialization of the sport is popularizing the game into a global brand. Here is hoping to see more players like Tuba Hassan dominating the history charts with their spectacular cricketing skills.
