Among the many talking points discussed in the latest weekly podcast, Paul Radley, Sports writer at The National, opened up about the UAE women’s team and the potential of captain, Humaira Tasneem, to be a role model to women across the Emirates.
While discussing the involvement of Hijabi women in UAE cricket, Radley explained the UAE have a brilliant opportunity to grow the game within the local population through captain Humaira Tasneem, currently the only Hijabi player in the team:
She’s a fantastic role model, excellent player, off-spinner, batter as well.
She really needs to be pulled out as this visible face of UAE women’s cricket because that would just go to show that should not at all be a hinderance.
Radley went on to discuss how this would be valuable for UAE cricket:
She’s a brilliant, brilliant role model as well. She speaks brilliantly. She’s an excellent player and they can put her out there as this leader for cricket here and that would be really beneficial for the game.
Regarding efforts to grow the game throughout the whole local population, Radley compared the potential for cricket in the region with rugby union; a sport which has made strides around the region in recent years. Radley explained since the formation of the UAE Rugby Federation in 2009, the team has had success particularly with recruiting, and retaining, local women in the sport.
Radley continued with an anecdote of a local female rugby training session. The women were following the men’s training session whilst following the rules from their phone to learn the game. ‘If they can do that with rugby, why can’t they do that with cricket?’
With the UAE’s position as a leading Associate member, as well as its reputation as an important global figure, Humaira Tasneem could inspire many young women outside, as well as within the Emirates. The plaudits for her performances and composure with the pressure of captaincy are testament to her ability and character. With the correct exposure, Tasneem’s presence as captain of the national team could provide a goal for many women across the region.
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Really want to know about the status and popularity of cricket amongst the native population of countries like Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, UAE, Bahrain, Malaysia and Singapore! As there are not much prominent news available, it's my humble request to make such articles on that topic! Just love these precised articles of you guys☺