Why Tania Mallick’s appointment as head of women’s cricket is the best decision PCB could have made

With the development of women’s cricket now being a priority, the PCB need someone who knows the sports infrastructure of Pakistan well, possesses corporate knowledge, and most importantly, is passionate about women’s sport. Tania Mallick is the epitome of  these characteristics.

Being a sportswoman herself, Mallick knows intimately the cultural and societal challenges Pakistani women in sport face. At the age of 17, she represented Pakistan in the 1986 Seoul Asian Games. The following two years, she was the national champion of badminton, and she achieved all this during the dictatorship of Zia-ul-Haq, whose policies regarding women worsened their place in society.

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Since then, Mallick has continued to be involved in the country’s sporting system, focusing especially on grassroot development and the development of women’s sport. She served as vice-president of the Punjab Olympic Association for over a decade, pioneering initiatives such as the inter-school and inter-collegiate games to encourage development of sports in schools and colleges. She is also a member of Pakistan Olympic Association’s Education and Women’s Commissions. Having experienced life as both athlete and administrator, Mallick will bring a unique perspective to her role. She can bridge the gap between the two to hopefully implement solutions that are effective and mutually beneficial.

Additionally, Mallick has a Master’s in Business Administration from Pakistan’s top business school, Lahore University of Management Sciences. She also successfully ran her own business for 20 years, which means she comes into this role with corporate experience as well.

The fact that Mallick has all these varied experiences in her , along with a fierce passion to promote women’s sport makes her the ideal candidate for the position of Head of Women Cricket in Pakistan. Mallick is well-rounded, passionate, hardworking and determined. She can very capably and successfully lead women’s cricket in Pakistan into the new era it is now entering, and I, as a fan of women’s cricket could not be happier with the decision PCB has made.