CAMBRIDGE: While the entire nation was glued to TV screens for the much-awaited India-Pakistan encounter in the World Twenty20 on September 30, not many people were aware that another battle between the two countries in the form of a match between their women’s teams would be taking place the following day. Pakistan beat India in this particular battle by one run after an exciting encounter.
This match did not receive the amount of media coverage that the match between the men’s teams did. No major television channel broadcast the match in Pakistan, or for that matter, any of the matches going on in the Women’s World Twenty20, taking place alongside the men’s event. Not many of us realise the importance of women’s sports. Talented players like Nain Abidi and Sana Mir could inspire young girls to take up cricket as a profession if their exploits are given due coverage by the media.
Olympians like Victoria Pendleton and Jessica Ennis have become stars because their nation graciously lauds their hard work. Unfortunately, our female athletes receive support and coverage only if they achieve some milestone. At all other times, they are left to combat societal and other pressures on their own. The coverage sprinter Naseem Hameed received after winning a medal in the SAF Games is a case in point.
Isha Fahad
Published in The Express Tribune, October 2nd, 2012.
