UK’s New Year Honors: Pakistan-born Salma Bi rewarded for her services in sport

London: Salma Bi has been honored with a British Empire Medal for her services to cricket and diversity in sport in this year’s New Year’s Honours list.

The 34-year-old Salma is a coach and one of cricket’s first South Asian female umpires here in the UK. She is also the first British Muslim woman to play county cricket for Worcestershire and Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).

Salma launched a coaching organization in 2012 called ‘Believe in Making A Difference [MAD]’ to give women and girls cricket and disability sports a greater platform.

In 2009, she received an award for ‘Outstanding Achievement’ at the British Asian Sports Awards and then followed up with the inaugural Sports Award at the 2012 Asian Women of Achievement Awards.

The 34-year-old, who was born in Pakistan, juggles umpiring with coaching, fundraising and working full-time as a Haemodialysis Nurse based at the Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham and being the mother of three young children.

ECB chief executive officer Tom Harrison said that “Salma deserves recognition for her what she’s done for cricket and diversity in sport. She is a true inspiration who has brought cricket into the lives of so many women and girls.”

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