Living the dream of millions,Isa hopes to inspire

Isa Guha was just eight when her father saw her bowl to her brothers in the backyard of their Berkshire home....

Isa Guha was just eight when her father saw her bowl to her brothers in the backyard of their Berkshire home. Impressed with what he saw,he got her enrolled at the High Wycombe Cricket Club,and within three years,the scouts at the Thames Valley U-21s side asked her to join them.

Now,Guha holds the distinction of being the first Asian woman to play for England,and was part of the team that won the Ashes,the World Cup and the T20 World Championships held last year. At 17,Guha made her England debut against India in 2002,and since then the medium pacer has been the flagbearer for the Asian community in England. She has 94 ODI and 25 Test wickets to her credit,and was recently named the Sports Personality of the Year at the British Asian Sports Awards.

Guha is currently in India as part of the visiting English womens cricket team,and this is her fourth visit to the country as a cricketer,although she used to frequent the city of her birth Kolkata during her childhood. Speaking to The Indian Express from Bangalore,she says,It was fantastic to win the award and its great for women and cricket. I think this gives a strong message,especially to Asian women,to take part in the sport and be fit and healthy. I take pride in being able to help raise the profile of womens cricket.

Her father also played club cricket in Kolkata in the early 1970s but the family then moved to England and settled there: I have the greatest of respect for the Indians as I have roots over here. But I also take great pride in playing for England,as it is the country I grew up in, says the 24-year-old,who is simultaneously pursuing her PhD in neurological science.

Talking about the five-match series her team is playing in India at the moment,Guha said,We all worked very hard throughout the winter. We have never won an ODI series here before so that is our next big challenge. We know that India are strong at home,but we have prepared well. One thing that we pride ourselves on is our fielding so hopefully that will give us an advantage.

Katherine leads England to win

Bangalore: An all-round show by Katherine Brunt powered England to a three-run victory in the second ODI against India on Sunday. Katherine slammed 21 down the order to take England to 183 for seven first and then returned with a five-wicket haul to shoot out the hosts just three runs off the target.

Electing to bat first,the World Cup and T20 champions were faced with the ignominy of losing their second successive game when Katherine Brunt arrived at the square,the scorecard reading 155 for seven in the 48th over. Katherine struck four boundaries while raising 28 quick-fire runs in the company of Isa Guha (7 not out) to take the visitors to a respectable 183 for eight.