Cricket In Thailand Captures Spirit Of Cricket

The second edition of the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier is being held in Bangkok, capital of Thailand, from 28th November to 5th December with highly prized places at the T20 World Cup in India next year available to the leading two teams. Eight teams are taking part in the Bangkok Qualifier with Bangladesh and Ireland who took part in the 2013 World Twenty20 in Bangladesh joined by Netherlands and Scotland from ICC Europe, hosts Thailand and China from Asia, Papua New Guinea from ICC East Asia Pacific and Zimbabwe from ICC Africa as these second tier nations attempt to join the leading eight women’s nations in India in March next year. The teams are divided into two groups: Group A consists of Bangladesh (1), Thailand (4), Scotland (5) and Papua New Guinea (8); Group B consists of Ireland (2), Netherlands (3), China (6), Zimbabwe (7).  Matches will be played at two venues in Bangkok: Thailand Cricket Ground and Asian Institute of Technology. The first stage of the competition will see the four teams in each group play each other in a round-robin league with the top two teams going through to the Trophy semi-finals with the bottom two teams moving into the Shield semi-finals. The winners of the two Trophy semi-finals will win places at the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 in India and also contest the competition’s final on the last day of the tournament. The remaining play-off matches will be held to determine the final rankings in the tournament. This is a highly important competition for these eight countries, as they combine to show the world that women’s cricket is truly a worldwide game and not confined to eight countries who take part in the ICC Women’s Championship or in the ICC Women’s World Cup. Every two years the second-tier countries have a chance to shine on the world stage and to qualify for places in a prestigious World Cup and this time individual players will also be showing off their qualities in order to be selected for the 2015/16 Women’s Big Bash in Australia.

It is entirely appropriate for an ICC global development event that there will be four female umpires standing in an ICC competition for the first time as Claire Polosak, Kathleen Cross, Sue Redfern and Jacqueline Williams will stand alongside Alan Haggo and Nigel Morrison. New Zealander Kathy Cross, on the ICC Associate and Affiliate panel since 2014, has regularly stood in international tournaments and she said: “I have enjoyed the experience of officiating in different parts of the world, but I have been alone, as a woman, in the middle for quite some time. So, it’s great for all of us to have this opportunity in Thailand this week at such an important tournament.” Schoolteacher Claire Polosak from Australia commented: “The fact that there are four female umpires at this tournament is not only special to other aspiring female cricket umpires showing there is a real pathway available, but also to anybody who has goals and wants to work hard and achieve them in any facet of their life.” Former England left-arm spinner Sue Redfern added “I feel incredibly fortunate to be given the opportunity to test my skills and be part of such an important tournament.” Jacqueline Williams from Jamaica will make history on her return to Caribbean when she stands in West Indian first-class cricket. “Being the first female from the Caribbean is a humbling feeling and I will do my very best to set a standard that other women will be excited about cricket umpiring and take on the task”. These are inspiring comments from some wonderful role models in women’s sport and Chair of ICC Women’s Cricket Committee Clare Connor said: “It is a great step forward for the ICC’s overarching strategy with members to increase the representation of women across all aspects of the game”. The six umpires will be backed up by ICC match referee Graeme Labrooy and ICC Umpire coach Denis Burns, along with local scorers and online scoring is also being provided for the tournament.

On behalf of the International Cricket Council, I would like to welcome all the players, support staff, match officials and media to the ICC Women’s World T20 Qualifier in Bangkok, Thailand. The ICC is committed to promoting the women’s game and inspiring future generations of girls and women to participate in the sport. Women’s cricket continues to grow from strength to strength internationally, with increased funding and competition opportunities for teams. This event is part of ICC’s commitment to providing meritocratic qualification pathways for all its major events.

Cricket in Thailand has a long history of more than 100 years but in recent years it has really caught the public’s attention as the country has won the prestigious ICC Spirit of Cricket Award for two years in a row as first the women’s cricket team captured the imagination of cricket followers around the world for their breakthrough onto the global cricket scene at the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifiers in Ireland in 2013. The following year it was the Hill Tribe Cricket Program based in Northern Thailand which gives under-privileged children from hill tribe backgrounds the opportunity to play cricket as well as to support their educational needs. Boys and girls from this program have already played for Thailand’s national teams.