Ashleigh Whaley
The Women’s U19 Cricket Team Journey Begins…
Women’s U19 Cricket Team Trials.
Dawn in Harare – Zimbabwe, Africa.
It’s a chilly winter’s morning in Harare. Many local cricketing girls are up, before sunrise, in order to catch public transport, to the first day of cricket trials for the Zimbabwe Under 19 Women’s World Cup.
With both parents having to work, in order to survive, most of the girls are used to traveling by public transport, in order to attend cricket practices.
Paula Joy, has the luxury of having her mother to drive her to the cricket trials. She arrived at the trials, not knowing anyone, but was immediately greeted with happy smiles and hugs.
Cricket Trials.
The first thing that caught my attention was the lack of cricket kit for most of the girls. With over 30 girls at the trials, few had the required kit. Zimbabwe is back in hyperinflation, making it extremely hard for families to earn enough to afford luxuries like cricket kit, which is certainly not cheap…
A Prayer Blessing to Share.
Paula Joy enjoyed leading the team prayers before the game and soon gained the nickname ‘prayer warrior’. As the games began, so did all the sharing of kit. Everything from bats, gloves, helmets etc. was passed around!
I found it all most interesting to watch and so enjoyed seeing how well the girls bonded, whilst sharing and encouraging one another.
Paula Joy also enjoyed being able to add her cricket kit to the pool. Her bat, for example, was used continuously throughout the trials.
Amazing Determination.
Nothing deterred these girls and often, they were batting, with a bat that was either too big or too small. Helmets were often squashed onto heads and some of the many shared gloves swamped the girls’ hands.
Through it all, no-one complained or blamed their equipment. This was most humbling to see…
Water breaks consisted of used coke bottles, filled with tap water. No fancy energy drinks were on offer, as these are not affordable for most Zimbabweans.
Farm Girl Speaks the Language.
Thanks to having grown up on a farm, Paula Joy is now fluent in Shona, one of the local Zimbabwean languages. She was able to communicate with all the girls and it didn’t take her long to be accepted as part of the team.
Embracing Opportunities.
When her team was short of a wicket keeper, Paula Joy volunteered to be the keeper, – once her bowling spell was over. Paula Joy never shies away from an opportunity!
Making a Plan.
Most of the cricket fields for the trails had well kept wickets. However, one ground had rocks for boundary markers! The Zimbabwean attitude of; ‘we’ll make a plan’, certainly came into play at these trials.
Each day consisted of two T20 games. Most of the girls then had to find public transport home, which meant reaching home long after dark, only to be up before dawn the next day!
Most young Zimbabweans do not have passports…These young women were all determined to make the team and to be among the few to have the privilege of traveling outside the country.
They all played their hearts out, enthusiastically encouraging one another and, after six days of trials, the World Cup team was announced.
Paula Joy, at the very young age of just 12, managed to make the team! What an achievement and she was thrilled! She can certainly bowl almost as fast as the older girls and also loves playing an attacking batting game.
The Journey Begins.
The challenging journey for the Zimbabwe Women’s Under 19 Cricket Team has begun! With the World Cup in January 2023, lots of training is now required.
A big thank you to the selectors, coaches etc., for very well organised trials!
God has these women in his hands and He will guide them to the best of their ability. Thank you Lord, for giving me this wonderful opportunity, to observe and learn from this group of inspiring young women.
Go team Zimbabwe!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank you for all the team coaches and the support personal, who are there for these amazing women. May You continue to guide and bless each and every player, coach and support staff, as they journey towards the World Cup. May they all shine for You, in Jesus’s name… Amen.
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