Leading from the front

Pakistan women’s cricket team has quietly led the way in showing how much our women athletes are capable of – despite negligible resources. The team’s victory against New Zealand is the best example of just how talented our women players are. The team made history on Tuesday (Dec 5) when they won their first-ever series outside Asia and Ireland. In a country where women cricketers do not receive the same recognition as their male colleagues, this win is indeed remarkable and shows that with the right amount of training, our women can do wonders. We can’t help but recall the awful incident that happened in Swat a few months ago when a group of girls were forbidden by a group of locals from playing cricket in a public ground. Clipping women’s wings not only pushes society back to the Stone Age but also deprives young girls of making a name for themselves.

Women in our society have to bear unjustified criticism and intense scrutiny when they decide to break away from their traditional roles and do something they love. Fighting against such an environment and working tirelessly to make your name is indeed a remarkable achievement that deserves praise from all quarters of the country. It is also hoped that as women continue to perform better both domestically and internationally, they will receive the same treatment that other cricket stars receive in the country.

And while there is no denying that men also have to perform rigorously to claim a place in the national team, their journey is a little easier than women cricketers. Pakistan has league cricket including the Pakistan Super League (PSL) that provides a great opportunity to cricketers to hone their skills and get trained by some of the best players. Similar work should be done for our female athletes who have shown time after time that they have the potential of smashing records and performing incredibly well in all formats of cricket. Over the years, Pakistan’s women cricket team has been performing consistently, and it is time for authorities to conduct training programmes for them so that they can continue to shine in the world of sports. It is also important for our authorities to encourage more women to choose cricket as a rewarding career. Our girls have the potential to touch the skies – all they need is a little push from us.