(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) A motivated Oman team is keen to put up a strong show against title contenders UAE Kuwait and Qatar at the inaugural Gulf Cup Twenty20 girls' cricket tournament which will be hosted by Oman Cricket at Al Amerat from December 15-20.
Coached by Sajith Kumar and his deputy Desmond Berhardt the 19 cricketers have been preparing for the tournament at the turf facility in Amerat for the past one month.
The four-nation tournament will be played on a round-robin basis before the top two sides square off in the final.
Allrounder Sunaina Devaiyah who is the frontrunner to lead the 14-member Oman squad to be announced on Wednesday said 'We have prepared quite well. We focused a lot on the technical aspects of playing the game. Although we will be up against established teams we are still hugely motivated to do well.'
The coaches have been focussing on two key areas during the training - patience and fitness.
Coach Kumar who believes the young Oman team should capitalise on the home advantage said 'Patience and fitness are two crucial areas the players are working on. The batswomen must understand that they have to bat out the 20 overs - it's a must. So we are working on it with the players. Secondly fitness is very important. They have made remarkable improvement on that front. This team has five to six allrounders which is a good sign.'
Former Sri Lankan great Duleep Mendis who is Oman Cricket's (OC) Chief Development Officer said training at Amerat's turf ground is proving crucial for the girls. 'Earlier they used to play in Bausher. After switching to Amerat they have benefitted a lot more' he said. 'They are now getting the feel and experience of a grass ground and turf wickets which has improved their overall skills as cricketers.'
OC has appointed Maleka Ariwala as the tournament coordinator while OC women's cricket coordinator Vaishali Jesrani has been overseeing the girls' training. Vaishali hailed Oman's girls' school cricket league for serving as the supply line of the national team. 'This tournament is part of our future development plan for women cricketers in the country. Looking back I must thank the schools and parents that encourage their students to participate in the girls' league' she said.
The Oman probables comprises players from Indian School Al Ghubra Indian School Wadi Kabir Indian School Muscat and Pakistan School Muscat.
'We are an ICC Associate nation now' said Madhu Jesrani OC general secretary. 'It's our responsibility to development women's cricket. What better way to do it than by hosting the first ever Gulf Cup for girls.'
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