The Sunday News
BULAWAYO, a city located in the south-west of Zimbabwe has always remained a rare breed in terms of talent ranging from arts to sport.
While all the focus can be easily turned towards the city’s most popular sport – football, a rising star is shining in the cricket world.
The woman who seems poised to lift the name of this great City of Kings, this time around, is just a tender 19-year-old.
Tasmeen Granger, a former Petra High School pupil, recently got a call up to play for Can Am United women’s cricket team, an all women volunteer team comprising players from Canada and the United States of America.
The tournament was played on the American calendar Memorial Day Weekend, 24 to 25 May in Atlanta, Georgia. And it saw back-to-back (2012 and 2013) champions Atlantis Cricket Club from New York marching to their third consecutive triumph after beating Can Am by eight runs in a fiery encounter.
Other teams at the tournament included Cayman Islands, Texas Thunderboltz, Invitational XI and the home team Atlanta Pearls.
Describing the tournament from Atlanta, Granger said: “It has been pretty awesome being here. My team Can Am United won three matches and we lost one (the final). We beat Texas by five wickets, and then beat the invitational team by three wickets. In the semis, we beat Atlanta Pearls by 10 wickets”.
“In what turned out to be the most exciting final thus far, we restricted the defending champions Atlantis to 106-3 in 20 overs. We batted quite well but the slow start caught up with us, we got under pressure. We fell short by eight runs when we were all out for 99,” said Granger, who coaches youngsters at the Heath Streak Academy and attained a Level One coaching certificate last December.
Granger got herself a number of awards at the tournament, a feat which shows how much of a force she has grown to become. She was the player of the match in the games against Texas, the Invitational Team and Atlanta Pearls. She was also honoured as the Most Valuable Player at the tournament, the highest wicket taker and also the bowler of the tournament.
Before she left for the USA, the Tuskers Women Cricket team captain had told Sunday Leisure Sport that she hoped the opportunity would allow her to be exposed to how women’s cricket is run on that side of the world, which would be beneficial to her career both as a coach and player.
“I will definitely learn what attracts women to the sport that side and hopefully that exposure will assist me in my coaching as we seek to make the sport viable enough for us to be counted among the best. As a player though, the opportunity will also allow me to learn one or two things. It’s really humbling that I am the first player from Africa to have been invited for this particular tournament – some of the players who have played in this tournament are from Europe. I do hope it allows me more opportunities in the near future and in the long run as my career builds up,” she had said and indeed, she has seen this come to fruition.
“We should never take our cricketing standards for granted in Zimbabwe. We have something to offer in the world out there,” she said after the tournament in Atlanta.
Fellow player in the Can Am team, Alicia Porter described the Bulawayo girl as a sensation to play with.
“Playing with Taz (as Granger is affectionately known) was a great experience. Her energy and enthusiasm for the game was incredible to watch. She has a great eye for the game that will only get better over time,’’ said Porter.
“I think Taz is someone that young cricketers everywhere should look up to. No obstacle is going to stand in the way of this young lady and the sport that she loves. Her determination, passion and strength have served this young cricketer well,” she said of Granger.
Another player from Can Am, Shanaz Mistry also resonated with Porter’s words.
“Tasmeen Granger is, without doubt, one of the most promising young cricketers I’ve seen in a while. She is full of spirit and ever ready to help out with developing one’s game, Tasmeen is a gem out on the field,’’ said Mistry.
“Whether it be batting, bowling or fielding she has her hand in every pot as proven by the MVP awards she deservedly won through the tournament. This girl is a firecracker and meeting, playing and learning from her was definitely one of the highlights of that weekend for me.”
Tasmeen started playing cricket at the age of 13 at Petra High School where she had to play with boys because there was no girls’ cricket team. She says her passion for the sport had always been there but she got the final push after meeting former South African captain Graeme Smith and the Zimbabwe senior team following a match at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.
