People feel I look too ordinary to play for national team — Sunday News

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People feel I look too ordinary to play for national team — Sunday

By Daily Sports Nigeria on November 30, -0001

Nigeria’s senior female cricket team right hand batter, Salome Sunday, inspired the Female Yellow Greens to a nine-run win over Rwanda at the 2023 NCF Women’s T20i in Lagos. In 2022, the multi-talented athlete also made history as the first Nigerian female player on the list of top 25 runs in Women’s T20is. She talks about her cricket career and more in this interview with ABIODUN ADEWALE

Congratulations on your win over Rwanda. How does it feel to eventually dethrone them in the NCF T20i?

It feels really good to eventually get a crucial win over Rwanda. We beat them in the round-robin last year, but they beat us in the final. They’ve been our rivals in the past four years, so, I’d say it’s a good return for us.

How did you begin playing cricket and who are the people that helped you hone your skills properly?

I started playing cricket when I was in SS3. I didn’t expect it to turn out this way. I just love sports naturally and I used to play football. When I saw cricket, I just had to join and I ended up loving it and I’m playing it professionally. The current captain of the female national team, Blessing Etim, played a very big role in bringing me up from the scratch, as well as coach Leke Oyede, the Female Yellow Greens coach; coach Onome, coach Uthle, the men’s senior national team coach and Eddidiog Patrick, the Akwa Ibom men’s team coach. They have done a lot to help my game.

What are the fondest memories you have of your beginning?

When I started cricket, it wasn’t all that fun because I found it difficult to do a lot of things like batting and bowling. I was even called the last born of the team, which meant I showed a lot of weakness. It wasn’t fun for me because I wanted to perform well. So, I started some personal trainings and checked online to watch. That was when I started having the real fun because in this game, when you know what you are doing, that is when you begin to enjoy it. As a matter of fact, when I had my first tour of Rwanda in 2019, I had a lot of fun and felt really excited and I won the player of the match for two games. I also won the best-behaved player of the tournament.

Why did you choose cricket, since you had played football?

I started sports with football. I lived at Ukanafun, Akwa Ibom State, where I schooled at Gateway Standard Academy and I was a captain of the football team. But when we relocated to Uyo, my school didn’t have a football team, so, I joined the cricket team. I can also play tennis.

Many athletes, especially females, face resistance from their parents when they chose sports. Did you experience the same thing?

Resistance was one of the problems I faced when I started because my dad felt sports was going to distract my studies. So, I promised I was going to put more effort and carry both without affecting either. It wasn’t easy until the intervention of my mother, who supported me. She bought me my first track. What I did was to create more time for reading and read more than I used to, so, as to protect my sports career. And I even did well at the end of the term and I got my dad’s assurance. He then gave me the benefit of doubt that I could handle sports and academics successfully.

So far so good, who are the people that inspire you most?

I have to confess Blessing Etim is my role model. I have actually watched and learnt a lot from her. Internationally, I admire and learn from the likes of Rohit Sharma and lots of others.

What are your challenges so far?

The major challenge I have had is the consistent resistance from my dad. The first time I went for a tournament was in Abuja and I came back with N2,000 and my dad queried if that was why I went all the way to Abuja. He is he kind of person that wants to see results quickly, so, to him, it wasn’t worth it. Another one is the lack of personal equipment, so, I ended up using makeshift equipment to train. I also had a challenge managing my time because being a student and choir leader while also trying to play cricket was not easy. I had to create time and the game isn’t that easy in terms of injuries. I remember how my who schedule was affected when I had a hand injury.

What was the feeling like the first time you travelled out to represent Nigeria?

The first time I travelled was in 2019 for the Kwibuka game in Rwanda. That was the first time I travelled by air and it was exciting. I remember the first game I played, I just played with so much ease and happiness because I didn’t even expect I was going to make the national team. I had a good time and the best thing I recall was being one of the best players at the tournament. I put in a lot of effort and I was confident. It was a lot of new experience and exposure for me. It was extremely exciting and my parents were happy too.

A game like cricket has potential to win Nigeria laurels but it’s not getting attention like football and others. How does that make you feel as a player?

I don’t feel so good when other sports get rated above cricket because a lot of things like fitness and training that we do before we play a game are the same thing other players in other sports also do, but they are getting a lot of attention. Sometimes when I tell people I am a national team player, they are usually surprised because they feel I look too ordinary compared to footballers, especially in terms of finance and popularity. At the same time, I have to appreciate the Nigeria Cricket Federation for the efforts they have put in to make sure we attain this level too; to make cricket popular and even encourage women.

What are the best and the worst moments of your career so far?

My worst experience was in 2020 when we went for the World Cup qualifiers. I had a really bad tournament having less that 10 runs in five games. I was not in form and it was really tough for me because I was one of the players the team was looking up to deliver. I returned home sad. I felt if I was in form, we might have qualified because I believe my efforts would have added to the rest of the team and it would have taken us somewhere.

The best moment has to be the 2023 T20i we won against Rwanda. They have been our rivals such that anytime we play them, it is unpredictable. It is usually a big game, so, I am excited that we finally took the title from them. This is our country; we can’t afford to let them steal the shine again.

Last year, Rwanda beat you girls in the final. This year, they did it again just a day until the final? Did that affect your confidence going into the final game?

I think sometimes, what brings us down is fear. We have a lot of skills as a team. I believe so much in our team, but the only problem is the tension. But this time, we were able to drop every bit of tension ahead of the game. We just told ourselves to go and do the basics like it was our usual training and we assured our coach we were going to win the game.

Is there any secret about how you and your teammates won the final?

During the game we lost against them a day before the final, captain Etim and other players were rested and it was a strategy by the coach to give Rwanda a taste of what they thought we were. And it really worked because we surprised them in the final.

You’ve earned a remarkable status as far as producing game changing moments is concerned, what more are you looking forward to with Nigeria?

)Remember I mentioned the World Cup qualifiers in 2020 as one of the most disappointing tournaments I’ve played. I have moved over that already but that memory will be completely banished if we play at the World Cup. Nigerian cricket is growing and I believe we will achieve that soon. And that means we will also be ranked among the best in the world.

Source Punch Ng

Posted April 14, 2023