The cover of this Cricket Canada Wicket’s Issue, Volume 2 #12, features Achini Perera as Canadian Women’s Cricket’s Rising Star. Achini’s rise to stardom is outlined on pages 6-7, while page 8 features the Take20 UpClose insights to her personality. The Issue’s Contents Page (Pg 5) also features a recent photo of the Canadian Women’s team prior to their departure to participate in the 2019 Cricket West Indies Championship. Finally, the One To Watch feature, on pages 12-13, also details the aspirations of another rising Canadian Women’s cricketer, Maliha Baig.
Collectively the aforementioned provided coverage should serve to indicate this publication’s continuing willingness to provide its support for Canadian Women’s cricket. As Publisher, I have been heartened by the announced intentions of the Rashpal Bajwa led Cricket Canada Board of Directors to place special emphasis on the implementation of plans and initiatives that will be aimed at advancing the development of Canadian Women’s cricket. The Board’s decision that the responsibilities for those plans and initiatives should be shared by Director Amjad Bajwa supported by the President himself is also a most welcome development. The undeniable impression one receives from interacting with Amjad Bajwa is that he is very much action oriented and overly inclined to get things done in a timely manner. In that respect he and I are definitely “cut from the same cloth, as its not by any accident that my mother, who knows me better than anyone else in life, has always referred to me as “the Russian!”
Amjad Bajwa will need to put to use all of his energies and resources, as he seeks to get Canadian Women’s cricket onto a solid path towards meaningful growth and development. One initiative he may want to consider implementing in that regard would be the introduction of Kanga Cricket as a extra-curricular sports activity for young primary school aged girls. That would provide a grassroots feeder system as a source for future women’s cricketers.
Amjad Bajwa and whoever he has assisting him, would also be well advised to examine and perhaps adopt some of the successful best practices of Canadian Women’s soccer. The grassroots growth of Women’s soccer within the past two decades had been indisputably greater than that any other Canadian sport.
In terms of provided assistance Amjad Bajwa will soon likely have as his sidekick, a Canadian Women’s Cricket Coordinator. As a most wonderfully welcomed indication of their intentions to “walk the walk and not just talk the talk,” the Raspal Bajwa led Cricket Canada Board has just recently posted an invitation for interested individuals to apply for the newly created volunteer position of Women’s Cricket Coordinator, the holder of which will participate directly in Board of Directors’ meetings.
Very interesting developments and most encouraging signs indeed for immediate improvements in Canadian’ Women’s cricket, which until now has suffered from sputter starts without any meaningful progress being achieved. The Cricket Ontario’s Praim Persaud led introduction of a Women’s High Performance Camp is yet another such encouraging development that will hopefully be continued post COVID-19. As our One To Watch featured Women’s cricketer Maliha Baig has suggested the Cricket Ontario Women’s Cricket High Performance Camp initiative is worthy enough to be adopted and duplicated by all the other Cricket Canada Member Provinces!
Wonderful signs overall indeed. Let the meaningful progress continue. Our very best wishes for every success to all involved.