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Being Windies Women ‘A’ team V/C is a dream come true
Gajnabi aims to be MVP against Pakistan ladies
By Sean Devers
One of five Guyanese in West Indies Women’s ‘A’ to face Pakistan Women’s ‘A’ in the T20 series which starts on tomorrow at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua, Shabika Gajnabi was named Vice-Captain of the team.
Shebika Gajnabi goes over the top at Providence. (Sean Devers photo)
Gajnabi joins her Guyana teammates Sheneta Grimmond, Mandy Mangru, Kaysia Schultz and Cherry Ann Fraser for the ‘A’ team series which will commence before the West Indies Women battle Pakistan Women at the same venue.
“It is a great feeling for me to be named as Vice-Captain of a West Indies ‘A’ team, it’s a dream has come through for me,” said the lass who has played five WODIs and seven WT20Is.
Gajnabi who turns 21 on July 14, said the strength of the ‘A’ team is its all-round cricket.
“The Covid-19 pandemic affected me in terms of working on my cricket skill and not getting to do as much as I wanted to do.
This is not the first time being here since the pandemic started. I have settled in very well to life in a bubble and I am getting used to it,” added Gajnabi, who was born in Chesney, Albion in Corentyne, Berbice.
“I am looking to score the most runs and take the most wickets and achieve player of the series,” said Gajnabi who made her WODI debut against Australia Women at Coolidge in Antigua on September 04, 2019 and her WT20I debut against Australia Women at Bridgetown, Barbados on September 13, 2019.
After leading Berbice U-19 Girls and Guyana U-19 Girls in her last two years at this level after making her U-19 debut in 2013, Gajnabi, who plays for the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, had to wait until September 2019 to play International cricket.
Gajnabi played her first game for her County’s senior team in 2015 before making her Guyana senior team debut the next year.
At age 18 Shabika was selected in the West Indies Women’s training squad for a camp in preparation for the ICC Women’s World Cup and although she was not selected she gained valuable experience from that camp.
After outstanding performances at both the junior and senior levels for Guyana, she was included in a training squad for the tour of Ireland and England May 2019 and the teenager again missed out on selection.
Shabika was one of five Guyanese women selected for the West Indies Women’s pre-World Cup training camp in Antigua in January in preparation for 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia.
The others were Shemaine Campbelle, Kaysia Schultz, Cherry-Ann Fraser and Sheneta Grimmond. Campbell, who will miss the Pakistan Women’s series since she is recovering from a motor Vehicle accident, was the only Guyanese selected.
Gajnabi most memorable game was the first ODI against India when she took two wickets in the same over to end with 2-25 in fours overs at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua. It was very special because West Indies won by one run.
While she has been selected more as bowler and lower order batsman for the West Indies Women’s side, she plundered a magnificent unbeaten 215 against the National U-19s in the 2020 Women’s Inter-County tournament which remains her highest score.
This was after blasting 160 against Essequibo at Everest and Shabika is the only female in Guyana to score a double century at the inter country level.
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