A trip abroad towards the end of your school days can typically be an eye-opening experience – but for Maryam Faisal, it was potentially life-changing.
The 17-year-old is no ordinary Scottish schoolgirl. A sixth-year student at the High School of Glasgow, the aspiring cricketer was part of the first-ever women’s Scottish Under-19 side for the World Cup held in Johannesburg earlier this year.
As a member of the 15-strong team, Faisal jetted out to a pre-tournament warm weather camp in Spain before flying out to South Africa for the competition proper. The Scots wouldn’t make it through to the Super Six phase after suffering defeats to UAE, South Africa and India but rounded off the inaugural ICC Women’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup with a dramatic five-wicket triumph over the USA.
Head coach Peter Ross was pleased with the team’s displays in South Africa and Faisal reckons she gained a lot from the experience. Learning how to operate in a pressure environment and facing some of the best young cricketers on the planet were some of the biggest benefits, she says, while the importance of remaining mentally resilient when the going gets tough is not lost on her.
“The World Cup was a very different environment from any I’ve ever played in,” Faisal said. “We had a police escort and security when out in public and at matches. There were a lot of cameras, and all our matches were live-streamed so everyone across the globe could see us play.
“My favourite moment had to be taking the catches of two prominent batters against South Africa and batting against Sri Lanka.
“One of the greatest lessons I learnt whilst on tour was how important it is to be mentally strong in sport, especially in a sport like cricket.
“The World Cup is a high-pressure environment, you play against some of the best players in the world and naturally you begin to doubt yourself.
“But if I go onto the pitch with a defeated mind-set, I have lost the game before it has even started. So, I had to learn to trust my skills, trust my abilities, and believe in myself.”
Faisal plays her domestic cricket for two teams, Clydesdale and West of Scotland Cricket Club, but hasn’t always been enamoured with the sport. After copying her brother and picking up the bat at the age of eight, Faisal admits she dragged her heels for her first few years on the pitch.
The reason is simple: Faisal was a girl (and often the only one) playing a male-dominated sport. That all changed during her early teens when Western Warriors, a cricket side in the west district, selected her for their Under-18s team – something Faisal admits acted as the catalyst for her passion for the sport.
During her World Cup tour in South Africa, Faisal also volunteered at the Duduza Multipurpose Community Centre (run by the ICC and UNICEF) where she helped to coach over 100 children, including many girls.
She believes that the introduction of the women’s Under-19 T20 World Cup and the increasing interest in female franchise cricket can only be a good thing and hopes to see other young girls follow in her footsteps.
“I just wanted to do whatever [my brother] was doing,” Faisal said of her start in the sport.
“Traditionally, cricket is considered a man’s sport and a lot of girls are reluctant to play. But what people forget is that sports are not gender-specific, they’re for everyone. Girls should give cricket a try like they would with any other sport.”
Faisal has donated one of her international shirts to her school to acknowledge the role it has played in her development. She plans to go into higher education to study medicine but also has aspirations of gaining a cap for the senior Scotland team – and she knows that, if her dream is realised, her route to the top is not one that she traversed alone.
She added: “Encouraging me to play boys’ cricket, helping me form a girls’ cricket team which now participates in national tournaments, and the time and effort [PE teacher] Mr Leggat put in to not only coaching me but also helping me through the mental aspect of cricket, helped to get to where I am today.”
Kenneth Robertson, the High School of Glasgow’s head of senior school, was grateful for Faisal’s act of generosity.
“We are incredibly proud of Maryam for being selected to be part of the ICC Women’s U19 T20 Cricket World Cup Scotland team,” he said. “Playing against some of the best teams in the world at this level is a huge achievement.
“On behalf of the High School, we are deeply honoured to be gifted one of Maryam’s international tops. This will be proudly displayed within the Senior School and will inspire many more young cricketers to don their whites.”
