11-year-old Paul Adams-like bowler, Malikah Hamzah takes cricket world by storm
Mumbai: Ninth over in a T20 game and talented leg-spinner Malikah Hamza, who has a vicious bowling action, was bowling her second. She pitched the ball outside off stump to the left-hander batsman, the batsman swung, and as the famous cricket adage goes, ‘You miss and I hit,’ is what exactly happened.
Malikah plays for a senior women's team in South Africa and believe it or not she is just eleven years old. She's also the youngest cricketer ever to play against a senior international cricket side in a T20 match.
Meet Malikah Hamza, a sporting star and a rare talent… http://t.co/KQwzFp15IB pic.twitter.com/Rezedkqebq
— MRP Sport (@MrPriceSport) July 26, 2014This young multi-talented lady became the first female cricketer in the world to receive a Royal Club sponsorship deal with a world renowned cricketing brand. To add more to the wow factor, she is also the youngest professional hockey player in SA.
She got her first chance to bowl while playing against Zimbabwe, and it was in her second over that she pitched the ball on the off stump and hit the middle stump to clean bowl the Zimbabwe opening batsman, in a very Paul Adams like move.
A report appearing in Scroll quoted WP Senior Ladies coach, Kobus Rhoode, saying that Malikah is a hugely talented cricketer and he (coach) foresees a long term cricketing career for her. He says that he is very excited about the prospect of working with her and believes that if she is managed correctly she would definitely achieve national colours in the near future.
Mallikah shared her experiences while being the youngest player and playing with the bigger boys. The boys tend to sledge her a bit and when she’s batting, the wicket-keeper might tell the bowler to “Get my girlfriend out”. “That’s their favourite chirp,” said Hamza. Or when it’s her turn to bowl and she takes wickets, the chirps flow both ways. “Then my teammates will tell the batsman, ‘you got bowled by a girl’.”
In the 2013-2014 season, she won five of the six awards handed out by the club in her division, including best batsman, best bowler and best all-rounder.
Watch this video to know more about Malikah Hamzah:
