Malawi women cricket gets international recognition
Malawi women’s cricket is slowly but surely gaining international recognition after being featured on i Al Jazeera and nominated in the FC Barcelona Photo Award.
In an article titled ‘Malawi’s cricketer girls break stereotypes and barriers’ on www.aljazeera.com, the media outlet hailed Malawi Cricket Union (MCU) for its commitment to uplifting the sport’s standards from the grassroots and empowering girls regardless of their race and status.
The report explains that despite being reinstated as International Cricket Council (ICC) member just three years ago after four years of suspension due to “bad governance, corruption and discrimination,” MCU has managed to get the sport on the right track.
“I swore not to treat a player differently whether … they were the cousin of a minister or high-ranking official,” MCU president Vivek Ganesan was quoted as having said.
Al Jazeera added that the development of an Under-19 women’s cricket national team through the Cricket Academy—a non-profit organisation with the aim of promoting the development of grassroots-level cricket and empowerment of women in Malawi, particularly in schools and low-income areas—is an excellent initiative.
As if that was not enough international recognition, apicture of women national team cricketer Brenda Ndipo also found itself on the final shortlist for the FC Barcelona Photo Awards, according to www.fcbarcelona.com. n
