Published: Jun 08, 2016, 01:06 PM (IST)
Edited: Jun 08, 2016, 01:59 PM (IST)
Diana Baig – Pakistani footballer and cricketer, was picked for and remained sidelined from ICC Women World Cup T20 2016 that helped her grow and understand the game. She is one of those ‘Girls in Green’ who is multi-talented in every sphere. She was multi-tasking even when the major tournament of World T20 2016 was going on and yet managed to practice her penalty shoot-out skills. Knowing women’s cricket is picking pace today, Diana does realise that one day she has to choose between cricket and football. She is confident that her future in cricket can get better. ALSO READ: PAK women’s tour of ENG 2016: PAK announce 15-member squad
While speaking to tribune.com.pk, Diana said “It was an honour to be selected for the T20 squad,” she says, in between glances at her watch.” Though she was kept out from the tournament, she added, “It was very encouraging for me — it gave me new life, a new energy.” Diana recollects how she started off with cricket and football as she started playing with street kids at Hunza Valley, one of the world’s tallest mountains in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Balistan. A country that is still battling on gender biases, Diana comes from family with moderate views and that motivated her further. From streets she moved to local team to lay cricket. The elevated her to Pakistan A side as reserve player for World Cup 2013, but it was in 2015 that got her first international cap when she played in ICC World Cup against Bangladesh.
But Diana did have her moments of despair and said, “A time came when I could not see my future bright like this. After being selected for Pakistan A squad, I started to work hard.” Her journey towards Pakistan football team was rather an interesting one. A country that thrives on cricket, it was rather unusual to find women indulging in sports like football. While playing cricket for Islamabad, she tried her luck with football as well as she joined a local team that needed players. She made into the team and, to her disbelief, in 2014 was selected to play for Pakistan at the SAFF Championships in Bahrain. She has been a member of the starting 11 as a defender ever since, she says, unable to hide her excitement.
But her fight for creating a mark in cricket has been tough. Where men are selected on contractual basis the same is not for women. It depends on their performance based on the matches. She was in and out of the squad many a times. Fighting to keep her place was complicated by the fact that — again, unlike the men — Pakistan’s women have no regular facilities or practice time, meaning Diana was forced to rely on training with her university team to keep up to international standard. ALSO READ: Edwards to commentate in ENG vs PAK Women series
But her selection for the World T20 meant the hard work on the playing fields at the Lahore College for Women University had paid off. She said, “It is because of this college, this ground, because regular practice is very important.” At the moment she is trying to balance it out between cricket and education as well. She does feel that it hard and added, “I try to start from football… I play football in the morning, then our cricket training starts around 11 or 12 noon and continued until 3:00 pm or 4:00 pm. I start studying during the night, continuing until late.”
The women’s team received unprecedented support from Pakistani fans disillusioned by the men’s dismal performance during the World T20 in India, with the hashtag #GirlsinGreen trending. Where Pakistan women cricket is garnering all the accolade; Diana’s scholarship was suffering that she admits is tough and yet she is balancing it out well. She did end the conversation on lighter note saying it is difficult to choose between two fields and concluded that cricket has more charm in Asia and will want to get better with it.
