Sornnarin Tippoch and Rubina Chhetry at the 2013 ACC Women’s Championship in Chiang Mai

Four of Nepal’s and Thailand’s women cricketers are being sent by the ACC to play Division 1 cricket in Sri Lanka in August. “It’s a great opportunity for them to develop and knowing the set-up in Sri Lanka I am sure that they will benefit from being there,” says ACC Development Manager Bandula Warnapura. The cricketers funded by the ACC to Sri Lanka are Roshani Bohara and Rubina Chhetry of Nepal and Nattaya Boochatham and Sornnarin Tippoch of Thailand.

The cricketers were chosen on the basis of performance in the 2013 ACC Women’s Championship as well as their ability to inspire their team-mates on their return back to their countries for the foreseeable future. Rubina Chhetry and Sorrnanin Tippoch are captains of their respective countries and Miss Boochatham and Miss Tippoch are already ACC-certified Level II coaches.

	Nepal’s Roshani Bohara

The Nepali and Thai women will play for the Palink Sports Club (Palians), based in Colombo, in Sri Lanka Cricket’s 50-over Division 1 Women’s League. Under the tournament rules only two foreign players can be fielded by a side at one time so they will play in rotation; “the important thing is not only match play but exposure to a full-international set-up, a country where cricket is part of the national culture, one where they will eat, drink and train with other cricketers,” says the ACC Development Manager. “The Palians have been very kind in offering their facilities and hospitality in Colombo to our visitors,” he adds. Palitha Gunasekera, Chairman/President of the Palink School of Cricket was a schoolboy contemporary of the ACC Development Manager as well as being a team-mate of his for Nomads in Sri Lanka.

Thailand’s Nattaya Boochatham at the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier in July 2013 Picture by ICC/Ian Jacobs

The Nepali and Thai girls (the Thais after completing their Shield-winning trip to Ireland for the Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifiers) reach Colombo on August 10, prior to starting the Sri Lanka season on the 20th. They will be on the island for a month.

The ACC is also proposing to work with the Asian Test-playing countries on tours in 2014 for the top Associates as well as Umpiring Scholarships.

Related:
SLC Women’s Cricket Limited Over Tournament 2012/13