Girls Aloud
A disappointing start to the World Cup
It was a terribly disappointing day for us against India and not the start that we dreamed off when we headed to the ground this morning
Urooj Mumtaz
25-Feb-2013
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I think the pressure of the occasion got to us, with all our players making their debut in a World Cup, and that was shown through some poor shot selection by the top-order batting.
In the warm-up game against New Zealand, who I think is a similar standard to India, we showed that we can make runs against the best teams which makes it even more disappointing to not get the result that we wanted to today.
At 25 for 7 I really feared what would happen, but at least our eighth-wicket partnership added some runs to our total. We also didn’t bowl as well as we know we can, so we have to improve our performance in all aspects of our game in the next matches.
This afternoon we spent some time practising on the outfield to try and restore some of our confidence, just getting the feel of the ball on the middle of the bat.
Full postGearing up for crunch game
As I am no longer captain, there is more time to focus on my game and relax, and I am determined to make some big scores during the tournament
Cri-Zelda Brits
25-Feb-2013
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I think that gave an illustration of the depth of our ability and what we can do in this tournament and we are all hopeful of getting a top four finish.
The West Indies game for us on Sunday is massive. Some of us have played them before, back in 2005, and we also have got information on some of their games, and we are very conscious they have the potential to be an excellent team if everything is going well for them.
We want to concentrate on our game and we know if we play well we should beat them and that should set us up to make it through to the Super Sixes.
On a personal note, I am determined to play to the best of my ability and focus on getting as many runs as I can. As I am no longer captain, there is more time to focus on my game and relax, and I am determined to make some big scores during the tournament.
Full postPlaying my first World Cup
It is great to be in Sydney and fantastic to have the support of my parents with me, who have both flown out from Karachi for the tournament
Urooj Mumtaz
25-Feb-2013
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It is now one day till our first match and I have mixed feelings of anxiety, nerves and excitement ahead of our opening game.
It is an amazing feeling to be part of the women’s World Cup, the biggest event in women’s cricket, and to play in my first major international tournament.
Preparations have gone well, with some improved showings against Bangladesh during the triangular series last month, although once again we didn’t score enough runs with the bat.
However, the warm-up matches have been much more encouraging with some good totals against New Zealand and South Africa and we know we will need to maintain and improve that standard if we are going to have a chance in this competition.
Full postMoving on from a life of cricket
It is nice to be stationary for a while and do not look forward to travelling the world and the region
Nadine Geroge
25-Feb-2013
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The team is presently young and slowly gaining experience. Over the two years I watch the team members grow in stature and maturity, taking on a vast responsibility. I wish the team all the best and my thoughts and prayers are with them. There are a few players who will show their class and wit during the world cup. I will not single those players out at this time. There will be a few surprises and I am looking forward to it.
But, I will admit I felt sorry I had to disappoint the team by my sudden departure from the game. I must say it is for the good. One must understand when the mind and the body say no it means no. When the support is not forthcoming this can breed discontentment. When the fun is out of the game also the joy of playing goes with it. It was just not me. My experiences, knowledge, players, well wishers and love of the game were the only thing keeping me going. However, the experiences and the behaviour of some makes you wonder if they knew what it means to have fun and play the game seriously? A word to the wise, “you must have fun to play with passion…”
With my achievement, recognition to the sport of women’s cricket within the Caribbean has reached a new high. I have been featured around the world and the Caribbean and still I find myself not achieving much to the sport. My achievement is a scratch on the surface and not worthy of much praise. I now look forward to my main career and focus on other areas of life I neglected in the past.
Full postTranslating domestic bliss into international success
The Rose Bowl Series will be our first international outing in a year but it’s not like we haven’t played hard competitive cricket for 12 months
Haidee Tiffen
25-Feb-2013
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During the winter we had monthly camps involving everything from skills, game plans, guest speakers, fitness, cooking skills, to a gruelling team challenge. We also had matches pre-season against representative boys. Our season started in October for a club competition and our domestic State competition started in early December. The State competition is extremely important for our preparation. It showed this year any team can be beaten and the competition was always closely fought and players put under pressure. The introduction of the State Twenty20 competition last year has proven to be successful and further develops the style of play we enjoy playing.
Our domestic season has been a huge success. The league has certainly evened up and there was certainly intense competition for places in the national side. During the last round four teams were fighting for the finals spot and the players were put under immense pressure.
No players this year went to England to play but we definitely will be sending some in the future. Suzie Bates had a short playing stint over in New South Wales, Australia. Playing Australia in their own backyard will be a challenge but it is one we are definitely up for. I have, in my 10 years of international cricket, played Australia the most. They have always been tough competition and a side with talented youngsters. We enjoy playing them and the two sides love to battle. I’d say the current New Zealand team is a well balanced side of youth and experience. We too have talented youngsters who will have an impact on the international arena. We have certainly got girls who are athletic and can bounce the ball and smack it to all parts. We are just looking forward to getting started.
Full postHigh stakes, high expectations
It has been quite an up-and-down year for the team as well as for me personally but now we need to regroup and look ahead to the World Cup in Australia
Mithali Raj
25-Feb-2013
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We have a fair idea of Australian conditions and Australian bowlers which will help us in preparing for the tournament. Australia tried out quite a few young players against us and I have to say none of them played like debutants. Even the Under-21 players played some tough cricket. There is hardly any difference between domestic and international sides while touring Australia. We would do really well to learn from their fighting spirit and don’t-give-an-inch attitude.
In fact I have seen a lot of youngsters in our domestic season this year who have the right attitude for the international level. They don’t worry about names when they play and I appreciate that. I believe there need be no undue respect on the field for star players.
The Australian tour was also the first in three years that I was not captain of the Indian team. But I can honestly tell you it did not affect my playing. I continued to bat in the same position and fulfill the responsibilities that come with being a senior player.
Full postGame for 2009
Isobel Joyce
25-Feb-2013
This winter has been a low key affair so far for the Irish women’s team. We have been doing some technical training concentrating on improving our technique, so there has been a lot of fielding and bowling machine practice.
We begin training in earnest at the end of January for our increased fixtures this summer. This is an exciting year for our cricket, because we are planning on increasing the amount of internationals we play year on year in the next three or four years. We hope that this increase in matches will help us gain more experience more quickly; I have been playing for Ireland for almost 10 years and have yet to even reach the 50 cap mark. Clare Shillington has been playing for two years longer than I have, and she only received her 50th cap in South Africa in February last year.
Full postA very mixed 2008
From the highs of qualifying for the ICC Women's World Cup and ICC World Twenty20, it has been frustrating not to continue that success
Urooj Mumtaz
25-Feb-2013
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From the highs of qualifying for the ICC Women's World Cup and ICC World Twenty20, it has been frustrating not to continue that success. This was due to some disappointing performances at the Women's Asia Cup and then the cancellation of our home series, due to security fears, which saw both the West Indies and a women's team from Delhi postpone their trips.
Where we should have been able to build on some excellent performances in Stellenbosch, we perhaps haven't been able to move forward quite as quickly as we would have liked.
It has also been a period of change at the PCB and there have been a number of changes to the women's cricket management team in the past couple of months. This has led to a major review of team selection in the past couple of months with everybody playing for their places in the ICC Women's World Cup squad.
Full postBowling tips, autographs, and promoting diversity
The day tries to promote the fact that cricket is a game that can be enjoyed by everybody, regardless of their gender, age or ethnicity
Cri-Zelda Brits
25-Feb-2013
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The day tries to promote the fact that cricket is a game that can be enjoyed by everybody, regardless of their gender, age or ethnicity. Along with Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers, we went to Montrose Primary School in Sandton, where we helped deliver coaching to boys and girls at the school.
It was great to see so many young people enjoying the game, especially girls, and I hope that we can continue encourage more and more females to play the game. There was lots of enthusiasm amongst the girls for playing the game and I was pleasantly surprised at the standard. Give it a few more years and I think I will have to be worried about my place in the team!
It was great to spend time with Hashim and AB and see what positive role models the top international players can be for young people. The reception that greeted them at the school was incredible and we certainly all signed our fair share of autographs – it was nice that the kids seemed keen to get my signature as well as the guys.
Full postTouring Australia, and my time as captain
Captaincy was an eventful roller-coaster ride
Mithali Raj
25-Feb-2013
We are quite excited about playing Australia and even though this will be the first series in three years where I will not be captain, I can tell you it feels just the same. Nervous jitters and anticipation never go away.
I feel the series will be evenly contested because while India have just had a miserable tour of England, Australia are yet to recover from the Ashes defeat. In fact that may work to our advantage and the first few games will be vital.
I thought I would share some of my memories as Indian captain with you. I had got a few opportunities to lead the side before I took over at the World Cup and it was a great confidence-booster that nearly everybody said I had the qualities required in a captain. But my memories of captaining during the World Cup are a blur. I think I just went through the motions without really thinking about it. It was an emotional and action-packed experience and I never got the time to introspect.
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