The cricketing fraternity is waking up from an unprecedented break. The pandemic had a stern impact on fans around the globe. Women’s cricket in India is set to unroll with Women’s T20 Challenge 2020 slated to begin in a matter of days. While the platform will revive competitive cricket for professional cricketers in the country, it will also be vital for young sensations.
In a heartening update, we report the arrival of Natthakan Chantham. Fans will remember her from the recent world cup where she smashed a memorable half-century against the quality attack of Pakistan. Natthakan made her debut two years ago. In the two years that she has featured for the Thai side, she had 38 international outings. Although she had played the majority of her matches against associate teams, her game shows signs of zero compromise. She will be playing for the Trailblazers.
She said that “I am still quite shocked and excited to be selected for such a high profile tournament. We haven’t had a chance to play any competitive cricket since the T20 World Cup, so I am excited about this opportunity”.
She added that “Being selected for the IPL (Women’s Challenge) is a major milestone for me as a professional cricketer. Hopefully, my achievement can inspire more Thai girls and even more girls in our region.”
While playing for the Trailblazers she would be accompanied by stars namely Smriti Mandhana, Jhulan Goswami, Sophie Ecclestone. The Thai sensation has experience of being in India as she has faced India A sides but it will be the first instance of her sharing dressing rooms with the greats.
She acknowledges that she would benefit from proximity to the stars. Chantham says that she would strive for a “solid performance” at the stage. Moreover, while the world and the cricketing community were hoping for a comeback on the grass, Chantham reveals that she has been training since May.
She says that “I have been back to training since May. I have a set fitness schedule and I have been working mostly on improving and fine-tuning my skills. It has been raining quite a bit in Thailand, so it has been a good chance to focus on certain skills and areas of my game indoors”.
WIPL will be a big stage for Chantham as she will be watched by players throughout the globe. Her inclusion, however, will be vital for the tournament and game as well. She takes to corners where cricket has not taken streets by storm.
Story Credits: Shayan Acharya for SportStar
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