how Indian nurses transformed Maltese sport
A group of Indian nurses have turned around the fortunes of Malta’s women’s T20 cricket team and found fame in their adopted Mediterranean home.
Migrant medical professionals are leading a cricket revolution in the small island nation, having won their debut T20 international match against Romania last month.
The free sports team was led by captain Shamla Cholassery, a medical nurse from Kerala, as they won 3-0 to lift the Continental Cup on 28 August.
Most of us work a 7am to 7pm shift and train from 9pm to midnight or 1am
Shamla Cholassery, captain of the Malta T20 cricket team
Malta’s first women’s cricket team has 20 members, the majority of whom are nurses from India with little or no experience in cricket. The rest of the team consists of players from Nepal, Bangladesh, the Philippines, South Africa and the United Kingdom.
Nobody is from Malta.
Talk to The National, the nurses-turned-cricketers said they were “bowled over” by the turn of events that led them to share their scrubs for cricket shirts.
“This was the last thing I ever expected to happen in my life,” said Ms Cholassery, 29. “I had played some cricket with my cousins back home but I had never used a bat for a professional game.”
Like thousands of qualified nurses in India, she had dreamed of finding work abroad for better salaries and working conditions. Coming from a hilly district in Northern Kerala, she had not even heard of Malta before.
In August 2019 Mrs Cholassery came to Malta as a care assistant, with the help of a recruitment agency that sends medical nurses abroad. Within a year she passed the written exam and qualified to work there as a nurse.
“Sometime in January this year, I saw a WhatsApp message from the Malta Cricket Association which said that Malta was setting up its first women’s cricket team and was looking for players,” she said. “I love cricket and I thought it would be fun.”
Her husband Jamsheed, who also moved to Malta and plays football for local clubs, also encouraged her to join, she said.
But Ms Cholassery was not the only Indian nurse to respond to the ad.
Anupama Rameshan, Anvy Vimal, Cuckoo Kurian, Ramya Vipin and Aneeta Santosh all turned to the selection process. None had played professional cricket but simply wanted to sign up for the love of the sport.
“I played with my cousin when I was at school, that was my only association with cricket,” said Ms Kurian, 30. The National.
She relocated to Malta in 2018 to be able to earn enough to send money to her family in India. She said she took up cricket to break the monotony of life.
“It was work and home,” said the care home worker. “I didn’t have a social life.
“After the first practice session, I got on the game.”
For Ms. Rameshan, who was named player of the match against Romania, Malta was a chosen destination. She followed her brother and sister-in-law, who both worked as nurses in Malta.
Although they have since migrated to New Zealand, she says she wants to stay and continue playing cricket for Malta. She is currently working as a nurse at Mater Dei Hospital.
From rookies to professionals
The health workers said that they enjoyed the sport so much that they committed to do their best for the team. After a long and hard day at work, they still made time for training at least three times a week.
“We were selected in February 2022, and since then we have been training rigorously,” said Ms Cholassery. “We have long working hours. Most of us work a shift from 7am to 7pm. But we found time and trained from 9pm to midnight or even until 1am. On Sundays, we work until 2pm and train from 4pm to -8pm.
“When we started, only two people — Sanjana from Nepal and Jess from the UK — had experience. We had to start by learning the basics, we don’t know anything.”
But, she said, everyone was supportive and welcomed them warmly.
“Nobody looked over us,” she said. “They were happy with our enthusiasm to play.”
The team’s coach, Lee Tuck, said The National he was overwhelmed by the response he got when he wanted to start a women’s cricket team.
“I wanted to build a team that could play quality cricket internationally,” he said. “When I saw the girls for the first time, there was only one thing I told them. Show me your dedication, the rest I will facilitate. But they went beyond my expectations.
“It blew my mind to see how much energy and time they were willing to put into training. They inspired me to give my best. They work long hours as nurses but have turned to every single training [session] and they were willing to work as hard as it took,” said Mr Tuck, who is from South Africa, where cricket is very popular.
The Cricket Association organized everything from transport to training kits and playing equipment for the team, which is 90 per cent made up of medical nurses.
“We have some others working in the services and retail sector as well,” Mr Tuck said.
Starting at a slow pace, he gave the players time to enjoy the game first.
“First we used soft balls to avoid injuries,” he said. “I wasn’t hard on them so that no one quits in a few weeks.”
It then took only six months of intense training for the women to master the game.
He said the team members became celebrities in Malta after their incredible victory, with cricket now attracting more interest in the country as a result.
“There are professional men’s championships in Malta that I helped to set up,” he said. “In the last two or three years, the sport has evolved in the country.” He said the men’s cricket team also has many migrant workers working in the country. medical sector.
“The women’s team will continue to train and our aim is to participate in the 2028 Olympics when cricket will be a competitive game,” said Mr Tuck.
As for the women, they said there was no question of them quitting cricket.
“We love sport and we want to continue playing for Malta,” said Mrs Cholassery.
“Many of us still work full time and that helps us support our families. But cricket is our passion and we will not give it up.”
Updated: September 23, 2022, 6:00 PM