Sornnarin Tippoch didn’t even know the rules when she first played competitive cricket but now the captain wants the whole of Thailand to follow her journey.
The 33-year-old will play her part in history as she leads Thailand in a global event for the first time, with their first ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 match on Saturday.
From humble beginnings at university, Tippoch has already orchestrated a record-breaking performance – with no country in world cricket bettering the 17 consecutive T20I victories they achieved from 2018 to 2019.
Progressing through the 2019 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier has already given them plenty of life-changing moments but the skipper isn’t stopping any time soon.
“We’re really excited to be involved for the first time,” said Tippoch, speaking at the captains’ media day at Taronga Zoo, Sydney. “We will look to play our best cricket and we’ll show how we play the game. People back home don’t know me, some people know cricket but it’s not on television. They will follow us on Instagram and Facebook and will know about our game in Australia.
“I played cricket when I was 21 in university. The first time the Cricket Association of Thailand got me to play, I didn’t really know about the sport. I only practiced for only two months – then we went to competition and lost all the matches. We didn’t know about the game, the rules, but cricket is a game that girls want to learn. We tried hard, we practiced and we’ve made the most of a lot of competition.”
Less than 15 years have passed since Thailand took its first steps in international cricket but they have certainly made up for lost time just by reaching Australia.
Now it’s about enjoying every moment as it comes for Tippoch and her side – an easy task for a country that has smiled their way through every moment of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 preparation.
With T20 world champions West Indies and England making up their opening two games in Group B, Thailand’s challenge is clear for all to see. But it’s one they are desperate to relish, pitting their skills up against the best teams and players world cricket has to offer.
“The mental side is harder to learn than the skill. We know we must be calm, must learn about the situation, the tactics and the game sense,” said the captain, who previously played softball before switching to cricket.
“Our goal is reaching Australia and we have done that. We thought about coming here to complete our journey. I hope that our success will elevate the game in the region and improve the standard of cricket in our part of the world.”
This column originally appeared in the International Cricket Council website and is being reproduced here from the ICC Media Zone.