•Player contracts, national league and grassroot development lined up to grow the game
•CK targeting ODI status for the women's team in the next four years
•The national women's team will begin training next week for the Kwibuka T20 Tournament in Rwanda
Image: /FILE
Cricket Kenya have lined up player contracts, a national league, and grassroots development as part of a grand plan to develop women's cricket to One Day International (ODI) status.
Director of Women's Cricket, Pearlyne Omamo, said the time has come to break away from the past where the women's game had been neglected.
"I believe we have a talented crop of girls and I want to give them the opportunities I never had. During my playing years, the issue of contracts for players was often talked about but never actualised. In my tenure, I want to bring it to reality," Omamo said.
The former national team skipper added: "We are in talks with Nairobi Provincial Cricket League Association to start a women's league in July. When we have a crop of talented players playing regularly, this increases the standards of the game. We also want to organise matches against high profile teams and hopefully, this will propel us to ODI status because this is the ultimate goal."
The former opening bats lady further identified schools as pivotal pillars in the development of cricket, saying they can inculcate the ideals of the game into players at a young age.
"We are looking to engage a number of schools to incorporate girls' cricket in their curriculum. We want to send our coaches to train these girls and make cricket fun. There is this form of cricket introduced in the UK, called the 100, which we are also looking at," she said.
Omamo was speaking on Thursday when she announced the technical bench for the national women's cricket team who are set to compete at the Kwibuka T20 Tournament in Rwanda in June.
The team, handled by Lamech Ngoche and his assistant, Francis Ndege, will begin non-residential training next week.
"What I learnt during my playing career is that preparation is key. That is why we are beginning training in April whereas the tournament is in June," she said.
Speaking at the same time, Ndege said he expects a tough outing in Rwanda considering the calibre of their opponents.
"Our biggest threat will be Zimbabwe considering they are a Test-playing nation and are participating in this tournament for the first time. Namibia are also good side as are Uganda. So, the pressure will be really on us but it is not something that should worry us as much," Ndege said.
Kenya are the defending champions of the tournament, defeating Namibia in last year's edition.