Tara Murray
When Maryam Omar moved to Australia from Kuwait seven years ago, she was keen to earn a Women’s Big Bash League contract.
In the years since, the Sunshine resident has plied her trade with several different clubs searching to take the next step.
Her journey has led her to the latest series of the Melbourne Renegades Recruit, a series focused on finding the next best talent outside the WBBL.
The winner receives a unique high-performance opportunity with the Renegades to further develop their cricket, along with other prizes.
For Omar, she said this was an opportunity to put her name out there and hopefully earn a WBBL contract.
“I saw this as an opportunity,” she said. “To take that step to play in the WBBL.
“I’ve learned more about the game. Seven years ago I thought I was ready for the opportunity, but now is the best time in my life to try to hopefully get into the WBBL.”
Omar has played at several different clubs since coming to Australia.
She’s played Victorian Premier Cricket at Essendon Maribyrnong Park, Dandenong and before finding a home at Carlton.
If playing for one cricket club isn’t enough, Omar also plays men’s cricket.
She played with Port Melbourne before joining Victorian Turf Cricket Association club Sunshine Heights, playing in its second XI.
Omar said she enjoyed the challenge playing with the men’s teams.
“Both men’s teams have been really good,” she said. “They don’t care that I’m a female, they put me in the nets and I love that challenge.
“They see me as an equal on the cricket field and it’s nice to get that experience as I want to get as much cricket as I can.
“You never know when an opportunity will arise.”
Omar said she made the move to play at Sunshine Heights as the constant travelling was taking its toll and wanted to play closer to home.
Omar said the experience of the recruit had been an incredible one and something she would take a lot out of.
“I gave it my best shot,” she said. “It was a really talented bunch, some that I have played with and some that I have played against.
“Hopefully it gets them one step closer to where they want to be with cricket. I was a bit nervous, but I backed myself and I can only control what I can control.
“Everyone was deserving to be there.”
Omar made the most of the opportunity to learn from Melbourne Renegades spinner Ella Hayward, saying she was already adding some of that information into her own game.
The first episode of the show aired last week with Omar making it through to the final six.
While tight-lipped about what may happen in the show, Omar said it was quite cool to watch the show come to air.
I was really nervous to be honest,” she said. “Relieving the movement again it was amazing, an unusual situation
“My mum is here from Kuwait as well. It was nice for her to see the experience.”
