Although cricket has been popular in Oman for decades, the women’s team has previously struggled to meet the eligibility requirements to compete in ICC track events.

Therefore, Oman Cricket was determined to nurture female talent from the grassroots level to increase their talent pool, while also trying to attract former cricketers back to the game.

“The idea behind this whole development programme for women’s cricket is to develop a robust domestic structure here in Oman and ultimately create a pathway for girls to transition into the national team and play a competitive form of cricket for us,” Sharma added.

“To introduce girls to cricket, we came up with the idea of ​​organizing softball tournaments. This was actually for someone who is completely new to the sport.

“The idea behind the softball tournament was to introduce girls to the sport in a fun and accessible way and eventually have them switch to hardball cricket.

“During these softball tournaments we have seen participants from different age groups: schoolgirls, college students and even mothers.

“These tournaments have also rekindled the passion for cricket among women who had previously taken a step back from the sport.”