KARACHI: Pakistan hosted Sri Lanka in first-ever women's T20I series at home and it was watched by hundreds of young school girls.
At Southend club on Tuesday, Pakistani skipper Bismah Maroof flipped the coin and visiting captainChamari Athapaththu called for batting, making those young girls in stands a witness and probably ensuring a bright future for Pakistani females in international cricket.
When this correspondent arrived at the venue to cover this historic series between the two teams, there were dozens of young girls already lined up to enter the stadium with passion and enthusiasm to see their countrywomen making the nation proud.
Amid all the cultural restrictions on women in a society like Pakistan, these girls must have taken role models back home after watching Bismah XI registering six-wicket victory.
They might remember the moments of young Tuba Hassan's celebration while taking wickets flawlessly on her debut T20I match. Tuba must have inspired some of these girls by claiming best bowling figures in T20I by a Pakistani debutant.
Meanwhile, it was commendable to see Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) serving the young kids with free meal boxes.
In scorching heat of Karachi, credit goes to the young girls who came and patiently supported the Women in Green. Who knows, maybe you see some of them as 'Pakistan's future cricket stars'.