LONDON: British Pakistani cricket coach Saba Nasim has been awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s New Year...
LONDON: British Pakistani cricket coach Saba Nasim has been awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s New Year Honours list.
Saba Nasim, who is a lawyer by profession and inherited love for cricket from her Pakistani parents, was acknowledged for services to cricket and young people in London. She has been working in parts of London recognising the immense work she does to promote and encourage grassroots cricket amongst girls – most of them South Asians.
She told this correspondent in an interview that she grew up watching Pakistani cricket stars making their mark at the international level and was inspired by Pakistani cricket greats. She started playing cricket herself as a young girl and then moved to do professional courses.
Saba Nasim said that being acknowledged in the New Year Honours list has come as a surprise to her and she is overwhelmed at being able to receive such an honour at a young age.
After hearing the news, Saba said “It feels amazing to have received this award and to know that the work I am doing at the grassroots level is being recognised at a national level.
“I would like to thank the Chance to Shine charity, Essex County Cricket Board, my local cricket club, Wanstead CC and my parents for giving me the opportunity to become a coach and for supporting me through the various cricket projects over the past few years.
“I hope to use sport as a vehicle to drive change in the community, promote social cohesion and empower young people to become respectable role models themselves. I envisage setting up more of these community projects in other boroughs of London to give girls a chance to try the sport.
There are so many volunteers out there who are working tirelessly and who give up their spare time to do work in their communities; I hope this award inspires their peers to nominate them for their efforts and to be recognised in the honours system.”
She began by going into local schools and giving them taster sessions in cricket in the hope that they will want to play the game themselves. Initially she found it hard to break through into schools as cricket was not on the curriculum but her determination to not give up has now led her to have coached over 600 girls in the area. She says young girls from the Redbridge project, where she regularly coaches, come from a range of backgrounds but have joined together to make a formidable side, regularly winning the regional Chance to Shine Street competitions.
Saba, a solicitor by profession, told that she gives up most of her free time to coaching and running weekly cricket sessions in Redbridge & Newham for girls to come along and get involved with the game. “I also help them with their academic work, teach them life skills and provide personal guidance and advice.”
Saba Nasim revealed that she will receive her medal in 2017 and be invited to the Royal Garden Party held at Buckingham Palace in the summer.