Seven South Asian women - two each from Afghanistan, India and Pakistan and one from Sri Lanka - have been selected to be mentored as part of the ICC (International Cricket Council) 100% Cricket Future Leaders Programme beginning this month to support emerging female talent in cricket.

Altogether 40 women from 29 ICC member countries have made the cut for the programme is part of the ICC’s long-term commitment to accelerate the growth of women’s cricket and women in cricket.

Benafsha Hashimi and Tuba Sangar from Afghanistan, Vijeylaxmi Narasimhan and Harini Raina (India), Fizza Abid and Marina Iqbal (Pakistan) and Sri Lanka’s Michell Pereira would be part of the programme, which saw more than 300 applicants from 45 different countries, an ICC media release said on Tuesday.

The initial intake will be split into two batches. The program, designed to address the low 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, involving 20 of the mentees, beginning this month.

The second batch will be mentored in November.

All the mentees will be paired with a mentor to support their development growth.

The philosophy of the program is to be participant lead, with the ICC acting in support to match the mentees with suitable mentors and provide guidelines and evaluation frameworks for the participants and opportunities to network and interact.

The six-month program will include a kick-off workshop with mentor guide and former Australia captain Belinda Clark, followed by monthly check-ins and a 3-month review with the mentees and mentors agreeing the frequency and method of communication.

Commenting on the announcement, Claire Furlong, ICC 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.

“All the participants 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,” Furlong said.

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, the release said.

(SAM)