Meena Shankar

When Meena Shankar took her daughter to trials for the UAE national team, she wasn't expecting to get a call-up herself. But she impressed so much she was picked in the squad for the ACC Women's Tournament in Malaysia, July 2007. Her daughter, Sneha, missed out - being named second reserve - but then again she was only eleven and a half.

Meena, a former Tamil Nadu player, loves the game so much that when Sneha brought home from school news of the trials "I could not restrain myself from appearing for selection". UAE struggled in the tournament, crashing out at the group stages, but the experience was valuable for everyone, including Shankar, who bats at 3.

Jenny Thompson July 2007