It was a historic moment for the young women of India when the U19 team won the Women's U19 T20 World Cup after a seven-wicket victory over England in the final in Potchefstroom, South Africa, on Sunday, January 29. It was the inaugural edition of the tournament, and a moment of pride as well, with the women's youth brigade lifting the World Cup trophy for India.
A part of this squad, albeit with an appearance of her own, is Falak Naaz of Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.
Falak did not get a chance to play in the tournament and her only opportunity came during a practice match against Australia before the tournament. In this game, she gave only 11 runs in three overs but could not get the wicket.
The right-arm medium-fast bowler has worked her way up to this stature of the game. Coming from humble beginnings, Falak had the backing of her parents, which really helped her come up as a cricketer. During an exclusive interview with Sports Tak, Falak opened up about the influence of her family, and how they influenced her future in the sport.
"I have been fond of bowling since my childhood. I used to practice for nine-10 hours. Got a lot of support from my parents. Mummy never asked me to do household work. I was always told to play and read. Papa used to do duty day and night so that I could play. It is difficult to afford cricket. Kits etc. are very expensive in this. Everything had to wait. Whatever was required was available after a long time. Because the condition of the house was not like this," Falak said.
Her father fixes cycles, and her family lives in a house with a tin sheet roof on the banks of the Yamuna. A middle child, Falak has a younger sister and an elder brother. Her elder brother left his studies to help the family financially.
Last year, Falak was selected for a five-match T20 series against New Zealand in Mumbai. She was also chosen for the five-match series against South Africa before the World Cup, where she made two appearances, taking four wickets.
On January 29, when India won the World Cup on South African soil, Falak's family rejoiced. The family members celebrated by feeding each other sweets. The dream of her family is that while improving her game, their daughter should also stake a claim for a place in the senior team and win more World Cups for the country.
