Cricket
Go girl! Meet the First Female to Take Part in Red Bull Campus Cricket, UAE
Sixteen-year-old Kavisha Kumari is making history by becoming the very first girl to enter and play the UAE qualifiers of Red Bull’s university cricket tournament.
First Female to Take Part in Red Bull Campus Cricket
© Red Bull
First Female to Take Part in Red Bull Campus Cricket, UAE
© Red Bull
First Female to Take Part in Red Bull Campus Cricket, UAE
© Red Bull
We absolutely love this. As you may already know, the world finals of the 2019 edition of Red Bull Campus Cricket is nearly here – taking place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates from October 27.
But before that, there’s the small matter of the UAE qualifiers to determine who will make it through to the finals. And not only will this year’s competition showcase some of the country’s most promising cricketing talent – it will also mark the first time that a female participant has joined a squad.
Kavisha Kumari of Middlesex University Dubai, has gotten together with her fellow students to make up part of their team for this year. And at age 16, she’s also the youngest player in the group.
It just goes to demonstrate how a love of sport can bring people together. Joining Kumari are a diverse mix of players – some teenagers, some in their early twenties – studying everything from engineering to business management.
At the helm is student coach, Rehan Nurie, who incidentally studied at Middlesex himself between 2008 and 2012. He’s been working with the students for the past three years.
“2010 was the first time we included girl to play on the men’s cricket team; it was part of an inter-university ‘Youth Festival’ tournament,” Nurie tells us. “Since then, we have been on the lookout for any potential female players that could join the team [and] fortunately, this year we have had an opportunity. She will be playing her first match [at Red Bull Campus Cricket 2019] along with our boys. It is a very proud moment for all of us involved; we might be seeing more female players coming and enjoying the game at this level [in the future].”
So why is a competition like Red Bull Campus Cricket so important to Nurie and the team?
“I have had a chance myself to be part of our university team, and since then I believe that a lot has changed for the better,” he explains. “This for a lot of students is the highest level at this age and time. Representing the university is, in my opinion, close to representing the country, as I think university is more than an educational institute and more of a family and where each and every student can feel at home.
“With a university like Middlesex, the students are encouraged to represent the university in many different fields, sports being one of the strongest for us. If you have a chat with any of the current or alumni students who has represented the university cricket team, they will feel the same way I feel.”
And of course, the team are in it to win it.
“There is a lot to achieve in this tournament, especially if we go on and win this,” Nurie continues. “This gives us the chance to play with the best of the players in the region and globally.
“If unfortunately we do not win we would like each and every one of the players to give their best effort, and it will teach us to come out and be stronger the next time around.”
Ultimately, however, the aim is to bring people together.
“Our main achievement is getting a group of new students from different backgrounds, ages and cultures to represent the university’s cricket team for years to come. Some might even go ahead and play at a higher level in the future!”
KL Rahul at last years Red Bull Campus Cricket Finals in India
© Ali Bharmal
CRICKET STARS OF THE FUTURE
And Nurie is not wrong. Many Red Bull Campus Cricket participants have gone on to make a full-time career out of their passion.
One previous graduate is Chirag Suri who won the UAE qualifiers four times in a row. The Emirati cricketer’s big break shortly followed, representing the UAE during the 2014 Under-19 World Cup. Fast forward to this year and the rising star was drafted from more than 1,000 cricketers from 42 nations to participate in the 2019 edition of Global T20 Canada, playing alongside Yuvraj Singh.
Other notable Campus Cricket alumni include renowned Indian cricketer, KL Rahul – who plays for India; Karnataka in domestic cricket, and for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL – as well as South African international, Kagiso Rabada.
Eight countries have been confirmed for the 2019 World Finals. They are: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, Zimbabwe, and as mentioned above, the UAE.
For more details, visit the officialRed Bull Campus Cricket 2019 page here.