The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE senior national women cricket team captain, Mary-Anne Musonda has been selected for mentorship under the International Cricket Council’s Cricket Future Leaders Programme, which is aimed at addressing the low percentage of women in leadership positions in the sport.
Musonda is part of the 40 women from 29 ICC member countries that have been chosen as part of the ICC 100% Cricket Future Leaders Programme designed to support emerging female talent in cricket. The programme, which is part of the ICC’s long-term commitment to accelerate the growth of women’s cricket and women in cricket, received an overwhelming response of more than 300 applicants from 45 different countries.
The initial intake will be split into two batches and the programme, which is designed to address the small percentage of women in leadership positions in global cricket and build a pipeline of new female leaders in cricket, will get underway with batch one beginning this month.
Musonda (29) is a holder of a Bachelor of Commerce in Business Finance from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and then a Master of Commerce in Development Finance from the University of Cape Town. The Lady Chevrons skipper is part of the second batch which commences in November.
Commenting on the announcement Claire Furlong general manager, marketing and communications said: “The response from the global cricket community and all of our member boards has been fantastic. We received an overwhelming number of applications from 45 countries spanning all five ICC regions. The first two batches reflect the diversity of our regions and their areas of focus, and all have received outstanding endorsements from their respective member boards. The next six months will be incredibly exciting, and we look forward to a productive learning experience for our mentees.
“I’d like to thank all of the applicants for their interest in the programme which demonstrates a clear appetite for greater support for our future female leaders as well as our mentors who have committed their time and support so readily.”
According to the ICC, the application is open for all female future leaders of cricket to apply and will be matched with a mentor to support their development growth. The role of a mentor is to unlock their mentee’s potential and help them to be at their best. This could include being a confidential sounding-board, providing advice, guidance, and connections to reach their potential. – @Mdawini_29
