Watch the cream of UAE women cricketers display their skills in the globally televised match before the Emirates D10 final

 By K.R. Nayar 

ECB Hawks take on ECB Falcons at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on April 5 in a one-off T10 exhibition match. This contest has generated huge interest among the women cricket fraternity resulting in both teams training hard, and they will be out to give their best in a match expected to be an intense contest.

Women cricketers undergo intense training 

The talent among the cream of UAE women cricketers will be televised globally just before the final of the Fancode Emirates D10 2021 powered by SKY 247 from the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on April 5 (Monday). Emirates Cricket Board has organised a one-off exhibition match involving the best women cricketers in the UAE by dividing them into two teams named Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) Hawks and Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) Falcons. This match will be played in a T10 format and has been scheduled to commence from 7.30 pm UAE time.

Since this match has generated huge interest among the women cricketers in the UAE,  both teams have been training hard at the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket Academy preparing for the match.  ECB Falcons is being led by Kavisha Kumari while ECB Hawks will be skippered by Chaya Mughal. A keen contest is expected to be in offing.

The ECB, in partnership with ITW Consulting, is staging this match, and they hope that this televised contest will be a big motivation for women cricketers in the UAE.

ECB Hawks

Talking about her team and the match, Chaya Mughal, who is leading ECB Hawks, said: “This is a fabulous initiative by the Emirates Cricket Board to showcase UAE’s women’s cricket talent through this platform. This will not only give UAE women’s cricketers recognition around the world but also generate the confidence to perform facing a virtual audience for the very first time. As captain, I am very excited and the message that I want to convey to my team and budding cricketers is that to keep the game simple and stick to the basics. I believe that it is the most important requirement for any format of the game.”

Chaya Mughal - captain ECB Hawks

Further elaborating on the T10 format, Chaya said: “Since we have been practicing and playing matches in different formats,  T10 is no different for us, and we will stick to our plans. Both teams are fairly balanced, and that ensures we have a competitive game. Players look very promising and they are all ready to give their 100 percent. Our team consists of youngsters and experienced players, which is a very good blend of courage and knowledge. As a captain, I just want to finish it by saying “Let’s enjoy Cricket and play to win”.

Kavisha Kumari is equally confident that her team will steal the show. “Our team is well balanced. I can't wait for the girls to get out and display their skills. It is an exceptional opportunity given to us to play the game that we love through the shortest format ever. The fact that this match will be live-streamed and viewed around the globe puts the cherry on the top. I hope many girls will be inspired by seeing us play.”

Kavisha Kumari - captain ECB Falcons 

Chaitrali Kalgutkar, coach of the ECB Hawks, has been devoting her time to coaching women cricketers in the UAE.  Commenting on the match, she said: “The game of cricket is growing rapidly across the globe. Thanks to the Emirates Cricket Board for taking this initiative to introduce women’s T10 format of the game. It is the very first time in the UAE that women are playing a T10 match and that will be viewed by millions globally. This will definitely encourage a lot of players to take up the sport and increase the level of competition. It’s a fantastic exposure especially for our young players to play at the Sharjah International Stadium and develop more confidence in them. This is a good sign for UAE cricket as well.”

Chaitrali Kalgutkar - coach ECB Hawks 

Talking about the contest against ECB Falcons, Chaitrali said: “As coach of Team ECB Hawks, I want my players to enjoy and display their skills all throughout the game. It will be amazing to see how they take up challenges and apply themselves in this short format of the game. We all are very optimistic and looking forward to an exciting match.”

Najeeb Amar is the coach for ECB Falcons. He is also the current coach of the UAE women’s national team. Commenting on the contest, which he feels will a big step forward in women’s cricket here, he said: “As a coach, it feels great to be a part of the women’s set-up in this region. I am glad to see how the girls are taking an interest and playing cricket in the right spirit of the game. We have a blend of experience and young players and that will help players nurture the qualities of a good cricketer in them. All players are very committed and they have a lot of potential and caliber and they will want to display this in all formats of the game. These talented youngsters have taken up the game seriously and are always in a learning process to enhance their overall game. They have great potential for a bright future moving forward. We are all looking for an exciting match ahead of the D10 final.”

Najeeb Amar - coach  ECB Falcons

This match is one of the many plans being implemented towards building a strong (UAE) Women’s team for the future. This initiative unites ICC’s recently launched ‘100% Cricket’ program and their pledge to build interest and bring one million new women and girls to the game.

ECB Falcons 

Khalid Al Zarooni, Vice Chairman Emirates Cricket Board, commenting on  Emirates Cricket and ITW’s keenness in developing women’s cricket across the region, remarked: “We are extremely excited to bring our talented women’s players into our flagship tournament. We extend our appreciation to ITW Consulting for their ongoing commitment to the growth and sustainability of our domestic game.”

Vivek Chandra, Director ITW Consulting DMCC has been working hard to ensure that the whole tournament reaches every part of the world.
Dr. Tayeb Kamali, Selection Committee Chairman, Emirates Cricket said: “We are very keen to see women in the UAE participate and compete as it provides an excellent platform to continue to fine-tune their skills.” 
Watch the live coverage of this tournament on Fancode in India and sub-continent, Elife - Criclife/Switch TV/ du in UAE, Willow TV in USA and Canada, Live Media in Bangladesh  Facebook/mysportseye for the rest of the world, and Geo Super in Pakistan.