Empowering girls through cricket

 Lahore: The Australian High Commission and Kinnaird College for Women with the support of the Pakistan Cricket Board Wednesday hosted the 2nd Girls’ Cricket Cup in Lahore. 

 Australia’s High Commissioner to Pakistan, Dr Geoffrey Shaw, congratulated the schools on their participation and thanked Kinnaird and PCB for their valuable support.

“Sport can help tear down barriers and stereotypes,” Dr Shaw said. “Every time these girls hit a boundary or take a catch, they’re making a contribution to gender equality.”

 To prepare for the tournament, top coaches led the girls on a two-day coaching clinic. “We are very grateful for the participation of first class women’s cricket coaches and members of the Pakistan National Women’s Team, who took time out to build the girls’ confidence and encourage them to push beyond the boundaries,” Dr Shaw said.

2020 is a big year for women’s cricket in Australia. Last Sunday, on International Women’s  Day, Australia hosted the final of the T20 World Cup at Melbourne Cricket Ground, the world’s second largest cricket ground.

“Cricket Australia topped up the prizemoney for the women’s team to deliver parity with the men’s competition, making Australia the first cricketing nation to close the gender prizemoney gap,” Dr Shaw said.

It was a fitting way to mark International Women’s Day on 8 March. “86,174 people attended the T20 final setting a new attendance record for women’s sport in Australia and women’s cricket globally,” Dr Shaw said.

 The 2nd Girls’ Cricket Cup involved teams from seven schools and sports institutes: Bali  Memorial Trust, Government Shuhda-e APS Memorial Girls High School, Government Central Model  School, Al-Qadir School System, Allama Iqbal Model School and Kinnaird Cricket and Galaxy Sports academies for under privileged girls.