Having been picked by International Cricket Council (ICC) for its 100% Future Leaders Programme on Tuesday, Oman’s Vaishali Jesrani, captain of women’s team, feels the Sultanate will do well to increase fan engagement as it looks to host international sports events in future.
To facilitate this aspect of women’s cricket development, ICC has appointed Anthony Everard, Cricket Australia’s Executive General Manager, Fan Engagement, to work as Vaishali’s mentor as the six months programme starts next week.
“I look forward to serve women’s cricket on a major platform in a much bigger way. The new role is extremely motivating after all the years of playing and establishing women’s cricket in Oman. Getting into the ICC Future Leaders Programme is a great honour. I believe I have many more levels to reach in cricket and develop myself. I am working with Anthony which is going to be a great learning experience as Cricket Australia is one of the best organisations to work with as it takes women’s cricket equally serious to any international sport around the world,” said Vaishali, who is also Oman Cricket’s Lady Coordinator for Women’s Cricket Development.
Wishing her success, Duleep Mendis, Chief Development Officer, Oman Cricket (OC), said Vaishali’s selection was an honour for OC and a rare opportunity for her.
Talking about the top-class cricket infrastructure in Oman and the wonderful support Oman Cricket Board provided to develop women’s cricket over the years, Vaishali said ICC and Oman Cricket were looking to see how they can have more fans engaged when it comes to international events in future.
“ICC is not only looking to expand its TV audience but is also trying to see the game growing internationally. Looking back, things did not look good for women’s cricket in Oman initially. A lot of girls were even questioning themselves whether they had any real prospects to grow as international sportswomen but things started changing. It’s quite clear now that women can definitely meet their ambitions and have a career in sport. There is a big platform open to them now and many opportunities are going to come their way. It’s all about how their family or society looks at each and every daughter or girl who picks up her cricket kit and goes out there to perform,” she added.
She was all praise for the parents, schools and Oman’s media for helping women’s cricket develop and grow.
The six-month programme will include a kick-off workshop with Belinda Clark, followed by monthly check-ins and a three-month review with the mentees and mentors agreeing the frequency and method of communication.
The role of a mentor is to unlock their mentee’s potential and help them to be at their best. This could include being a confidential sounding-board, providing advice, guidance, and connections to reach their potential.
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