International cricketer passes the bat to students at GCU
A GCU student is bringing cricket to GCU after being part of the first ever women’s team to represent Scotland at a World Cup.
2nd year BA (Hons) Accountancy student Nayma Sheikh journey started by playing cricket in the garden with her parents from a young age.
“Both my parents used to play when they were younger,” explained Nayma. “I remember watching T20 games on the television and thinking it was really cool. My dad registered in an indoor tape ball cricket tournament and when I watched him play I knew I wanted to properly start getting involved.”
Nayma started playing for East Kilbride Cricket Club and quickly made a lasting impact both on and off the field.
She said: “I wanted to get more girls involved in the sport. My mum is a very good cricketer, so we teamed up to make a Ladies section within the club. We now have 27 girls there and we’re really pleased with how it has went so far.
“During my time with East Kilbride Cricket Club I started to get trials for regional teams. I was selected for Under 15s and I was the highest run scorer with a batting average of 79 in my first year. I was then selected for Scotland’s Under 17 team and played against one of the English counties – I was the highest run scorer and highest wicket taker there as well.”
Having already received international recognition, Nayma then got the chance to really make a name for herself on the world stage at the inaugural ICC Women's Under-19 Cricket World Cup.
“It was obviously the first time this competition had ever happened, and thankfully Scotland decided to apply to be a part of it but we had to qualify first.
“We faced the Netherlands and I ended up being the highest wicket taker in the match. To qualify was just incredible, especially since we were the first ever Scottish women’s cricket team to feature at a World Cup.
“The World Cup then took place in South Africa in January 2023. I had the best economy rate in the whole of the tournament and I was the youngest player at 16-years-old. It was just an amazing experience. We had a couple of players who had actually featured for the national Women’s team, so to play with them was pretty cool.
“I also got to play against Shafali Verma when we faced India and she’s well recognised as one of the best players in the world. I managed to get her out, which was a really special moment for me.”
After success with the U19 team, it wasn’t long until a call-up to Scotland’s full international team presented itself.
“It was last July and I was just at training. I basically got a phone call from my coach to tell me I’d been selected for the full team – it was just amazing but I also felt a bit nervous!
“I made my debut in the Netherlands last year against Thailand, which was incredible. I’ve since played against Netherlands, Italy, France and Ireland.”
After getting the chance to experience the full international set-up, Nayma was desperate to help the squad reach the World Cup for the first time.
“Obviously I’d had that experience with the U19s, so I knew how special it would be doing it with this group of girls.
“Our qualifier was against Ireland in Dubai and we put in an amazing performance. It was a privilege to play a part in it and I was so proud to see what qualifying meant to the squad as a whole. I remember sitting with Abbi Aitken, who’s so experienced, and Lorna Jack, the most capped player, and they just had tears streaming down their faces – I was just so pleased for them given how hard they’ve worked.”
She added: “The World Cup was played in Dubai in October and I was first reserve. I’m still only 18, so I’ll be taking part in the next Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia in January. I’ll be the most senior player at that tournament so that comes with a lot of responsibility, but I’m ready for it.”
Nayma’s love for cricket has followed her to GCU and she now wants to use her experience to bring students together from a variety of different backgrounds.
“There wasn’t a cricket team here when I first started in September 2023. University of Glasgow has one, so I really wanted to make sure we did too. I was having loads of conversations with people in my year to see if they wanted to get involved and I then got in touch with Gordon McTweed from the GCU Students’ Association - he made it all possible.
“There’s a league for Scottish universities, but I think we’ll just start with training and having it as a social activity. We’re going to make an Instagram page and we’ve already got a group chat with all the cricketers that are interested. We’re just needing a few more sign ups to officially get it started. We’ve already got equipment so we’re literally ready to go!”
Nayma added: “I’d encourage both male and female students to get involved – it’s open to everyone!
“You just need to have that confidence that you can do it. No-one is going to judge you – I wasn’t good when I first started! If you want to improve then it’s the place to be, but it’ll also be a great way to just come along and have fun.”
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By Ross Clark
Got an SHLS or GSBS story? Email me at Ross.Clark@gcu.ac.uk or message me on Twitter