Tara Murray
Plenty Valley has locked in a new captain for the Victorian Premier Cricket women’s season.
The club has signed Kuwait captain Maryam Omar to a three year contract as it aims to continue to build on the club’s strong foundation.
Bats head of female cricket Brett Cole said the signing of Omar, who had been playing at Carlton, was a massive coup for the club.
“Rebecca [Vandort] and Nipuni [Hansika] were talking to her, as they both know her from Carlton,” he said.
“They sounded out her interest and it got the cogs turning. We were looking for someone senior, who had played a fair bit of cricket at the higher level.
“She has captained Kuwait and she was one of the top three in the Renegades Recruit, which was good as well.”
Cole said Omar was someone that had proven that she was a leader on and off the field.
Omar and Cole did a level two coaching course together and saw first hand her passion and leadership abilities.
“She wants to show people back home that she can do it,” he said. “We’re heading in the right direction and it gives us a little bit more experience with someone who played at a higher level.”
Speaking to Star Weekly recently, Omar said her aim was to earn a WBBL contract and play against the best players in the country.
The signing of Omar comes as the Bats have locked in a number of re-signings for next season.
Jasmine Nevins, who has a Victorian state contract, is back on board for another year.
Cole said she would again be part of the leadership group and would learn from Omar as she continues to develop her game.
He said Nevins remains a captain in the future, but she doesn’t think she’s ready just yet.
Vandort and Hansika are both returning for a second seasons
Umasha Thimeshari is back from Sri Lanka, while the club is looking at signing another Sri Lankan and West Indian.
They’ve also signed two other players who have played cricket in Melbourne’s north-west, who will be pushing to play in the first XI, while a former Kenyan international, who has moved to the area, is also coming on board.
Cole said they were hoping to build on last season, when they had some strong results in the first half of the season before falling away.
He said more depth would help across all their sides.
“We were looking super strong at the halfway mark and were on top of the ladder at one stage,” he said.
“We looked like we would play the T20 finals, but it didn’t go our way at the right time.
“We’ve got this fantastic group coming through and we expect them to be able to be playing some good cricket in three to four years.
“They’ve had a taste of playing ones and we will play them in the second XI where they should be at the moment and can come through and build on that experience.”
