Hyderabad: ICC World Cup 2019 tournament will forever be etched deep in the memory of every cricket fan courtesy the nerve-wracking final of the tournament which was ultimately won by the hosts England.
Interestingly, amid all the cricket madness that the tournament witnessed, there were some stunning female anchors who not just added charm to the marquee event but also carried out various analyses to give new insights to the audience – with technical and a lot of other aspects.
Some of the female anchors who were covering the WC 2019 were:
India’s Ridhima Pathak, who is known for her strong voice and is a professional voice-over artist.
Pakistan's popular sportsperson Zainab Abbas, who has already made her name in the world of sports by covering many big cricket tournaments. She has also hosted several cricket shows in Pakistan.
Afghanistan’s Diva Patang, who is a Ph.D. candidate and also a sports presenter for the National Radio Television of Afghanistan (RTA).
In an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat, the three sports anchors talked about their experience of covering the ICC 2019 World Cup, how they shared culture and how they form a bond of friendship during the marquee event. They also revealed some inside stories related to the tournament.
How did you fare up during lockdown?
While answering this question, Zainab said that life has been difficult for her during this lockdown period. “Earlier, wherever Pakistan team used to go, I used to go with them but now I have to stay at home. This lockdown has its advantages and disadvantages. Thankfully, cricket has finally started.” At the same time, Diva Patang also acknowledged the present situation as difficult time and said that staying in London (where she currently resides) and working is tough.
Diva Patang – Being from Afghanistan, how has been your journey so far as a sports presenter?
Describing her decision to be a sports presenter as a difficult one, Diva said that as a woman it was a bit difficult for her. She further said that it is more so in Afghanistan, because cricket is completely a male dominated sport in the country. Initially she says that her parents did not support her decision but they agreed when she got a call for the 2019 Cricket World Cup as it was to be hosted in England itself which is where she resides. She also mentioned that once she had to face difficulties in Afghanistan as there was no other female presenter present except her.
Zainab Abbas – Which was your best match from the 2019 Cricket World Cup and what was your best moment in that match?
According to me there were many good matches in the tournament. I cannot choose out of them, but I consider the final match was an icing on the cake. I used to be more interested in the matches that I used to cover and mostly these were Pakistan matches. However, I liked the game between New Zealand and West Indies.Both semi-finals were quite good. The match that I enjoyed the most was between Pakistan and New Zealand as the Kiwis were quite strong and were consistently doing well. New Zealand was everyone's favorite team in that match although Pakistan defeated New Zealand. I also liked this match because the atmosphere and the excitement of the spectators was fantastic.
Ridhima Pathak - How was the World Cup for you and what was the most memorable moment for you?
Except for the semi-finals between New Zealand and India that lasted for two days, one match which was most memorable for me was the game of India against Afghanistan. Because on that day the Afghanistan team almost pulled of a victory. Before the match started, I got a chance to interact with the fans. If seen, there is a rivalry between the spectators of the two teams, but there was no rivalry between the spectators of India and Afghanistan on that day. They were encouraging each other. It was very spectacular. I got too excited when Mohammed Shami picked up the hat-trick.
Watch the complete interview to find out more.
