Cricket: Salma Bi wants to represent England after training with Charlotte Edwards

Award-winning female cricketer Salma Bi says training alongside Charlotte Edwards has given her the desire to play for England rather than Pakistan.

Worcestershire bowler Bi scooped the Woman in Cricket accolade at the inaugural Asian Cricket Awards held at Lord's Cricket Ground earlier this month.

And the spinner says looking up to the likes of Isa Guha and England skipper Edwards has helped her appreciate the importance of being a role model in her own right.

"Looking up to female role models as my game has developed has had a massive impact such as watching the likes of Isa Guha and the other England women," Bi told SkySports.

"I always had this dream of playing for the Pakistan cricket team but that was until I met the England Women.

"I had the privilege of training alongside them and when I met Charlotte Edwards I remember her telling me to just keep doing what I'm doing because eventually it will be recognised.

"Now it's beginning to happen and girls are coming up to me asking me how they can get into cricket so it's now also important for me to act as a role model."

Birmingham-born Bi started off playing cricket in the back garden with her father and her brothers before going on to captain her school cricket team.

It wasn’t long before scouts came calling for the talented off-break bowler, eventually resulting in her making history with county side Worcestershire.

“When my school cricket team reached the finals of a competition, county coaches started scouting me and asking if I played for any cricket clubs,” Bi said. “At that time I didn’t even know if women's cricket clubs existed.

“From there I went to trials for Warwickshire before later trialling for Worcestershire where I got in straightaway. That in itself was an achievement as I became the first Asian girl to play for the county and I haven’t looked back.

“I have played for almost seven teams per season since then. I’ve represented the MCC, I've played at Lords and I've played at Hong Kong and Japan.

“At the same time I've played for two men’s teams and my younger sister has since played for Warwickshire.”

Bi added: “I remember a lot of people telling me I wasn’t good enough to play cricket and I remember my first season in county cricket where I was always 12th man.

“I’ve had to work hard. It hasn’t been easy, it’s been a struggle but I've pulled though.”