Gajnabi grateful for maiden West Indies Women’s central contract

Guyana’s Under-19 female captain and senior team player, Shabika Gajnabi, has earned herself a central contract with the West Indies Women’s Team for 2019-20. Speaking with this reporter, Gajnabi expressed how thankful she was for this great opportunity.

“I would like to thank all of the West Indies Women players, they usually encourage all the young players,” Gajnabi disclosed.
Gajnabi, who will be celebrating her 19th birthday on July 14, has been involved in various training camps for the West Indies Women’s senior team. This Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTYSC) player is known across the Caribbean as the brightest young female talent.
The right-handed batter, who bowls useful right-arm medium, has been dominating the Regional Under-19 tournaments, where she has led Guyana over recent seasons. Gajnabi has also made her mark at the senior level for Guyana in the Regional Super 50 and T20 Blaze tournaments.
Playing with great comfort at the senior Regional level, Gajnabi was amonge those selected for West Indies Women’s training camp ahead of the 2018 stand-alone ICC Women’s World T20 tournament. Her most recent selection was for participation in the training squad to tour England and Ireland in May/June.
Gajnabi, a humble resident of the Kilcoy/Chesney area on the Corentyne Coast, has continued to make her parents, her county and country proud of all her accomplishments.
She added that she would like to thank all the coaches who have played a role in her successful journey thus far.
In the Regional Under-19 tournament, Gajnabi hit 52 from 48 balls against Trinidad and Tobago; 57 against Jamaica, and had 3-13 and 2-15 against Barbados and Canada respectively. Those consistent performances earned her a spot in the 2019 Regional Under-19 team.
In the senior category, Gajnabi was one of only two batters to surpass 100 runs for the Guyana senior female team in the Super50 format. She had 136 runs under her belt, and one ‘player of the match” performance against Leeward Islands when she scored a match-winning half-century.
Given that age is on Gajnabi’s side, she would continue her quest to become a permanent member of the West Indies Women’s team, and this 2019-20 central contract is a stepping stone in her blooming career. Gajnabi is only the second Woman cricketer from Guyana, after Shemaine Campbelle, to have earned a CWI contract. Both these female talents are products of the Hilbert Foster-led RHTY&SC, where they are exposed to competitive cricket. (Brandon Corlette)