Maid playing cricket for S'pore helps beat her home team

Twelve years ago, Ms Kaluge Chandra Lalani left Sri Lanka to work as a maid in Singapore.

For six days a week, the mother of three would fulfill her duties as en employee.

But come Sunday, 49-year-old Lalani would be batting and bowling for Singapore women's national cricket team.

“When I was approached to join the team in 2019, I immediately accepted the offer. I love cricket and the offer was not something that everyone would get," Lalani told Tamil Murasu.

Last month, the men's and women's Indoor Cricket teams under Singapore Cricket Association went to Colombo, Sri Lanka, to compete in England-Asia Cup 2024.

“Even though the competition was held in my country, it was an honour to represent Singapore. I was proud to stand in front of my countrymen and compete,” said Lalani.

Singapore women's team beat Sri Lanka 85 to 48 (6-1) in a game on April 16. The Cup went to England women's team after trouncing Sri Lanka by 82 runs over.

Not discouraged by final results, Lalani is now diligently training for 2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup in October. She spends two hours training every Sunday morning at Ceylon Sports Club.

Lalani, who hails from Gampaha in Sri Lanka and whose father was a volleyball player, used to play volleyball and basketball daily before moving to Singapore. Here, she played volleyball with other maids on Sundays before she was offered a spot in the cricket team.