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The first time Anne-Marie Tanke had the chance to play cricket, she said no.
“I didn’t understand the rules and thought it was boring,” says Anne-Marie, a consultant with Accenture Marketing Sciences, where she helps advertisers optimize their media investments. “But my friend who played insisted it was a great game, so I eventually tagged along one day. And I absolutely fell in love with it.”
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Fast forward 13 years, and Anne-Marie has just returned from South Africa, where she played in the World Cup qualifying tournament as a member of the Dutch national women’s cricket team. Though only about 5,000 men and women in the Netherlands play cricket (it’s mostly played in the United Kingdom and former British Empire countries), they’re surprisingly good at it. The women’s team is ranked 10th worldwide, and the men’s 13th.
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A sporting life
From that first game, Anne-Marie knew she had a knack for the sport.
“I’m strong, so I can hit and throw the ball a long way, and I have good reflexes and hand-eye coordination, which helps in fielding and batting,” she said.
She also enjoys the mental challenges of a highly tactical game: “I have a very competitive nature and love being better in things than other people, especially in sports.”
Though she started at the relatively late age of 17, Anne-Marie progressed rapidly, qualifying for the national team just two years later. She sees many similarities between her avocation and her day job—and not only the most obvious ones, such as teamwork, discipline and focusing on goals.
“Both activities also require you to cope with disappointment, perform under pressure and take responsibility for your actions,” she observed. “Playing competitive sports has definitely aided me at work. And somehow, having a demanding job at Accenture has made me a more relaxed cricketer.”
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A little help from her friends
Anne-Marie juggles consulting and cricket by saving up her days off for use during competitions. And when the schedules conflict, her co-workers step in.
“The World Cup qualifying tournament was played during the busiest time of the year,” she said. “My colleagues took over my meetings while I was away, which was fantastic!”
At the tournament, Anne-Marie’s team made it to the semifinals, eventually losing to Pakistan. Though they didn’t qualify for the World Cup, their final-four finish guarantees their spot among the top 10 teams worldwide for the next four years.
Anne-Marie admits she’s disappointed about not making it to the World Cup—“it was a lifelong dream”—but has no regrets and will keep playing.
“I love the sport and I’m proud to represent my country," she said. "Playing for the Dutch national team has given me the privilege of traveling all over the world, experiencing and meeting many different and interesting cultures and people, while playing the game I love.”
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