Ayesha on journey to attain success in Cricket.

LAHORE -- Pakistan's squad for next month's ICC Women's T20 World Cup includes an uncapped batter known for her ability to hit the ball hard and make the most of the Powerplay overs.

Ayesha Naseem rose to prominence in Skills2Shine U18 T20 Women Cricket Championship last November in which she scored 97 runs at an average of 48.50 in four matches and what put her on the selectors' radar was the fact that she struck nine sixes.

She impressed in the recent National Triangular T20 Women's Cricket Championship by scoring at a strike rate of over 206.

The 15-year-old batter belongs to Bagan, a village in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. She was born in Karachi, where she developed interest in cricket, before moving to the village. Due to constraints, which kept her from pursuing cricket, Ayesha decided to move to Abbottabad.

"Whenever we start-off in life, we come across challenges and criticism. And, the same was true for me", Ayesha said here on Wednesday. "From where I come from people don't allow their daughters outside homes. When I had begun playing proper cricket, the people in my neighbourhood started to criticise that. They used to complain to my parents and asked them to stop me from playing. These were the challenges that I confronted, but that did not deter me. Rather, I took this as a challenge to progress further and it made me work more hard to achieve my goals".

Despite these hurdles, Ayesha remained steadfast.

She turned down the offers of moving to Lahore or Karachi and become an example for other women players.

"I had received several offers from the coaches of Lahore and Karachi to move to these cities because the societal atmosphere did not allow me practice daily. But, I wanted to play cricket while staying in Abbottabad because I wanted to change how people think. I want people to send their daughters to the playing field because there is a lot of talent in them and they can achieve a lot. All they need is their parents' trust".

It was Ayesha's brother who introduced her to the game which developed into her passion. Growing up, she played cricket with boys which helped her develop a fast bat swing that now helps her to hit big sixes.

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