A quarter-century ago, two women made cricket history as England's first female internationals from diverse backgrounds. Despite the interest from the South Asian community, few others have emerged in similar roles. In 2022, Take Her Lead was founded to support women and girls in cricket, emphasizing role models and skill development to combat dropout rates. A survey indicated many women and girls feel unwelcome in the sport, revealing challenges at grassroots levels. The charity aims to improve experiences and retain young female players, especially those from South Asian backgrounds.
Nearly a quarter of a century has passed since myself and Ebony Rainford-Brent made our England cricket debuts. It was awesome for us to win World Cups together as the first two female internationals from ethnically diverse backgrounds. Since then, there have been only four others, two with an Indian heritage. When you think of the interest shown in the game by the South Asian community, it is a staggering number.
In 2022 I founded a charity, Take Her Lead, in honour of my mum, with the aim to increase the number of women and girls playing and staying in the game, and advance equity and diversity in cricket. We do this through connecting young players from underrepresented groups to aspirational role models through life-skills workshops, to build the mental and social skills required to stay in the sport.
While there is increased visibility and investment in the women's game, there is still a lot to be done at grassroots and community level. When Take Her Lead conducted a survey of 1,000 women and girls in 2022, we found that the majority didn't feel they belonged in the sport.
Our mission is to make sure every woman and girl has the best possible experience of cricket whenever and however they are involved. One of our projects will be to give girls from South Asian backgrounds the support they need to stay in the sport.
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