Quetta (GNP): Khairun Nisa Baloch, the first woman cricket coach in Balochistan, is helping young girls in Quetta build the skills to compete at higher levels, and is encouraging families to support their daughters’ participation in sport.
The 26-year-old has played cricket for more than seven years. She moved into coaching after finding few opportunities to advance her own playing career, then completed Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) coaching courses and began her professional coaching journey in 2019.
That background now shapes her work in schools. Nisa visits classrooms to encourage girls to take up cricket, creating openings for students who previously struggled to access professional training.
Her presence as a woman coach has also made a difference at home. Families have become more comfortable allowing their daughters to attend cricket academies.
One of her students shows what that change means in practice. She had always dreamed of becoming a cricketer but at first found it hard to get her parents’ permission to train outside school. After joining Nisa’s academy, she developed key cricketing techniques and now hopes to represent Pakistan internationally.
Stories like this feed Nisa’s belief that the province holds considerable untapped cricketing potential. She hopes more players will follow the example of Quetta-born former Pakistan international Nahida Khan, and says many talented women are practising under her supervision.
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Institutional backing has helped too. In 2021, the Balochistan government, with assistance from Pakistan Super League franchise Quetta Gladiators, organised a national women’s cricket tournament that gave local players valuable competitive exposure.
Building on that, Nisa believes regular tournaments, better facilities and structured development programmes can help more talented girls progress towards professional cricket. Her long-term ambition is to prepare players capable of representing Pakistan at the highest level.
Through this work, she is helping young women turn their passion for cricket into real sporting opportunities, while contributing to the growth of women’s cricket in Pakistan.
Khairun Nisa Baloch said, “I am very much optimistic that they can play for the national team.”
