World honor for former Pakistani cricketer Ayesha Jalil

Ayesha Jalil, a former cricketer of Pakistan and a Masters of Sports Management degree from the University of Technology Sydney, has been awarded the International Alumni Award 2022.

Ayesha Jalil was given this award on October 20 at a ceremony held in Sydney, Australia.

She grew up playing street cricket with her brothers. At the age of 16, Ayesha was selected for Pakistan’s first international cricket team.

He represented Pakistan as a bowler and opening batsman during the 1997 tour of New Zealand and Australia.

Ayesha Jalil later left the women’s cricket team to pursue a business career.

Ayesha says, ‘At the time I was playing, cricket was not seen as a career. I did an MBA in finance and worked for a multinational company.’

‘I never thought I would have the opportunity to do something I was passionate about.’

Opportunity in Australia

Ayesha’s love for cricket remained strong and in 2009, an Australian Government scholarship allowed Ayesha to study for a Masters of Management in Sports Management at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS).

‘I thought, this is my chance to do what I love,’ she says. I chose sports management because there was nothing like it in Pakistan.’

An inspiration to the next generation of female athletes

Sports programs in Australia and career planning focused on education encouraged Ayesha to take her new skills home.

In Pakistan he initially worked on a project called ILAD in which he developed and implemented a sports skills curriculum.

In 2015, she joined the Pakistan Cricket Board and not only worked on international and national cricket operations and events, but also designed and managed grassroots and junior development programs inspiring the next generation of women in sports. Is.

Breaking stereotypes about women in sports

Ayesha Jalil’s current challenge is to prepare the women’s U-19 team for the 2023 U-19 Cricket World Cup.

Ayesha hopes to establish a women’s cricket academy in Pakistan. This is part of their long-term plan to break down stereotypes about women in sports.

‘You can see young girls coming through these programs,’ says Aisha. Over the years I’ve started to see that parents bring their daughters to make sure they get the right training, and they see that there’s a career in sports beyond just playing.’

“Many parents are now supporting their daughters to achieve their dreams.”

Appreciate their work

Ayesha was nominated for this prestigious award sponsored by UTS College for her work as game development and team manager in Pakistan Cricket Board’s women’s cricket department.

She manages the national team on international operations and domestic tours.

UTS Alumni Awards

These awards recognize outstanding achievements of UTS alumni in business, arts and social sciences, design, architecture and building, engineering and IT, health, law and science.