Last year, ICC granted T20 International status to all its members and consequently all the matches Brazil women played during Women’s South American Championship (WSAC) last year qualified as international matches. This uplifted the spirits of cricket playing countries. Brazil women remained unbeatable and won WSAC 2018 after defeating Chile women by 92 runs in the final match. Four team played in WSAC 2018 – Brazil, Chile, Peru and Mexico (Argentina skipped playing the series).
Team Female Cricket talked to Denise Souza, Fast bowler of the Brazil Women’s Cricket Team. Denise Souza took 9 wickets in 5 matches with an economy of 3.81 in WSAC 2018. “We have so few games, that for me any game is fun”, as she puts it. We talked to her regarding how she chose to be a cricketer, her cricket journey and what are the problems a women cricketer faces in Brazil.
What inspired you to take up cricket as a profession in a football crazy nation?
I always played sports and had some friends who played cricket, then I identified myself.
Since how long have you been playing cricket and how would you define your journey till now?
I started playing in 2013 and still training to improve myself every day.
If not a cricketer, then what would you have been?
I’m also a handball athlete and a physical education teacher in a public school in Brasilia.
Has there been any difference in Brazil Cricket after it has been granted International status in T20 format?
Now the international competitions of Brazilian National team count points for the ICC World Ranking. And it’s an important conquer for us.
Brazil remained unbeatable and won the Women’s South American Championship (WSAC) last year, do you think the team is at its best?
We are training a lot to always improve and be able to lift larger flights.
Next, the team plays WSAC, 2019 edition in October, how do you think the preparations are going on?
The preparing for the next WSAC is going well. On 30th and 31st of March we had the first stage of the Brazilian Cricket Championship in Poços de Caldas – Minas Gerais. The second stage will be in Brasília – Distrito Federal, on July.
Are there any changes in this year WSAC as Argentina missed playing last year’s edition?
Brazil has many chances to be champion again. We’re training for this! Argentina is our best opponent because they make us play our best game.
In a gap of almost one year between two editions of WSAC, has the team been playing any more matches?
The national team don’t, but all the teams are playing in the Brazilian Championship.
What about formats other than T20, do we have matches in other formats also in Brazil?
No. In Brazil we only play the T20.
What do you think about the future of Brazil Cricket?
We are growing more and more. Now that we are in the ICC ranking we gonna have opportunities to have more international matches and it will help us to evolve further. The future is promising!
What is the composition of the team? And is the team satisfied with it?
We have athletes from Brasília, Poços de Caldas and Rio de Janeiro. We would like the sport to be better known in Brazil for athletes from many cities.
Your toughest match till now?
Final WSAC 2014 in Peru against Argentina. We started pitching and we were beating well, but our main batter hurt during the game and we couldn’t win.
Against which team have you enjoyed playing the most?
We have so few games, that for me any game is fun.
What is the atmosphere in dressing room?
The atmosphere among the players is always very good and fun!
Also Read : EXCLUSIVE Report on Brazil Women’s Cricket – Interview with Roberta Moretti
What do you think are the struggles of women cricketers in Brazil?
Our biggest challenge is getting sponsorship. Most of the time, we have to pay from our own pocket to participate in the competitions. And that makes some good players who don’t have financial conditions to participate in international championship.
What would be your message to young girls that want to play cricket?
Cricket is a sport that is growing a lot in Brazil. And we have the possibility to participate in the Olympic Games 2024! So it’s a great sport to practice.
Any suggestions for our initiative, Female Cricket?
Hold a workshop in Brasilia, the Capital of our country. We are developing the sport in the city and an international workshop would bring a lot of visibility to Female Cricket.
“I started playing in 2013 and as a scratch golfer, I thought that Cricket would be a good team sport to add in my life. Since the beginning I wanted to play for the National team and be a player that made the difference.”
Read full interview here ▶️▶️https://t.co/i9sKnIBtv7 pic.twitter.com/DGohMIkXFI— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) March 30, 2019