Dubai: UAE's women cricketers need more exposure, according to the UAE team's manager and International Cricket Council's (ICC) Media and Communication Administration Officer.
Sheila Razdan managed the UAE team in the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) tournament in Malaysia and closely observed the strengths and weakness of the other teams and even did a report on the teams in the ICC website during the tournament.
"UAE can field a strong team if regular inter-emirates and inter-school matches are organised. By playing as many matches as possible they can get used to tough opponents.
"Fortunately, UAE has the potential for growth as this country has a strong cricket culture," said Razdan.
Referring to the team who won the trophy, Razdan said: "Bangladesh have been playing regular cricket for over a year and that was visible in their performance. Everyone knew the basics of the game."
According to Razdan, UAE too can improve as they have two very good coaches in Smitha Harikrishna and Pramila Bhat Saranga.
"They both are former Indian players and have played at the highest level. They can extract the best out of our players and help UAE form a competitive team," she said.
Speaking about China's performance in the tournament, Razdan said: "It was amazing to watch China perform so well.
"Their players do not even get to watch cricket on television. It was indeed creditable for them to reach the semifinals.
"They came with a plan to reach the last four and achieved it. Their players are dedicated and they have ambitious plans for the future."
Razdan had talks with Rumesh Ratnayake, the ACC Development Manager, and many top officials during the event.
"The tournament turned out to be a great platform for women cricketers to exhibit their skills.
"The ACC has managed to get women play cricket in eight countries. It has helped women's cricket take off in UAE.
"As the Emirates Cricket Board is committed to promoting women's cricket, I am sure the standard of the game will improve in time for the next tournament," she said.
