The Maldives national women’s cricket team represents the country in international women’s cricket, With the International Cricket Council (ICC) granting full Women’s Twenty20 International (WT20I) status to its members in April 2018, Maldives now holds the esteemed WT20I status. Their debut WT20I matches during the 2019 South Asian Games in December 2019 were impaired by a challenging start, with the team recording the second-lowest total in a WT20I match during the bronze medal play-off. Despite setbacks like a loss to Bangladesh by 249 runs, cricket in the Maldives holds a deep-rooted history.
Historical Highlights – Maldives Women’s national cricket team
Introduced as “Filaagandu Boalha” (Wood plank ball) around 1880, the game gradually gained popularity, with formal rules and regulations introduced by 1920. In 2016, a dedicated development program commenced in Gn. Fuvahmulah demonstrates the commitment of the Cricket Board of Maldives (CCBM) to nationwide cricket development. This initiative bore fruit, producing 13 players representing Maldives at various levels by 2019.
A pivotal moment arrived in 2019 when the first-ever National Women’s Cricket squad was selected and competed in the 13th South Asian Games in the Women’s T20 Cricket event in Nepal. Despite these strides, promoting and sustaining women’s cricket faces hurdles such as the lack of family and community support and perceived difficulty in taking up the sport. Nonetheless, efforts to integrate women’s cricket intensified, with the establishment of a Women’s & Girl’s development program across the country in 2017. This endeavor culminated in the inaugural National Women’s T20 Cricket Shield in 2018, highlighting the growing momentum behind women’s cricket in the Maldives.
In the 2024 ACC Women’s Premier Cup, the Maldives women’s team was placed in Group D but finished last in their group, preventing them from advancing further in the tournament.
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