The Pakistan women’s team have made eight appearances in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup till now. However, they are yet to reach the semi-finals even once. Pakistan have a dismal record at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup – eight wins in 32 games. The ninth edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup will be hosted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from October 3 to October 20 this year.
Pakistan The Women in Green are placed in Group A along with India, Australia, New Zealand and defending champions Australia. Talking about their squad, the Pakistan Cricket Board has named 22-year-old Fatima Sana as new captain of the side. Pakistan’s first match is scheduled to be played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah. Their remaining three group stage fixtures will be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai.
Pakistan : The team in rebuilding phase
Another team undergoing a metamorphosis is Pakistan. With new captain Fatima Sana at the helm, the side is still trying to gel as a unit and stitch together coordinated performances to move the team’s cause forward. In the 15 T20Is played this year, the Women in Green have triumphed just four times. While there have been plenty of close games, the team’s long-standing inability to close out matches has haunted it so far this year.
A World Cup campaign without off-field chatter has become an anomaly for Pakistan, with the issue of denied daily allowances dominating headlines before its last international assignment against South Africa ahead of the UAE trip.
On the field, the cricket itself was quite encouraging against the Proteas. With the likes of Muneeba Ali and Sidra Ameen finding form, and the total of 181 in the second fixture boosting confidence, Pakistan can be optimistic. Sadia Iqbal had a memorable series, taking six wickets, and even former skipper Nida Dar bowled economically in key stages.
Despite this, Pakistan needs to work on plenty of basics, and with a leader learning on the job, the think tank will have its work cut out for this tournament. There are reasons to be excited as a Pakistan fan, and while it might be early for a tournament push, multiple wins and a push towards a semi-final spot are not out of the question.
Switching the captaincy job from Nida Dar to Fatima Sana, Pakistan have brought in a young, energetic leader with nothing to lose ahead of a big event, while also freeing up a veteran in Dar, who can now solely focus on outfoxing the batters and unleashing mayhem with the willow. Their batting showed positive signs in the recently concluded home contest against South Africa, while the spin attack led by the left-armers Nashra Sundhu and Sadia Iqbal can prove to be more than handful for opposition battle.
Pakistan Player to watch for: Sadia Iqbal
Since the last T20 World Cup, Sadia Iqbal has been the lead bowler for Pakistan in the format with 36 scalps to her name. Her impressive average of 16.02 drops further to 12.94 in games Pakistan has won in this duration.
The world’s No.3-ranked T20I bowler, often hailed as a spinner who bowls with the attitude of a pacer, takes the new ball and outfoxes batters by varying her pace and lengths. The upcoming T20 World Cup could see her share the new-ball duties with one of the fast bowlers in the side to provide variety and control from her end. Iqbal brings fighting spirit to the core in Pakistan’s bowling line-up and will be among their key senior players.
Pakistan Women’s squad : Fatima Sana (c), Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Gull Feroza, Iram Javed, Muneeba Ali, Nashra Sundhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal (subject to fitness), Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba Hassan
Pakistan Women’s Fixture : v Sri Lanka, Sharjah, 3 October , v India, Dubai, 6 October , v Australia, Dubai, 11 October v New Zealand, Dubai, 14 October
Expectations from Pakistan Women’s Team : The newly looked Pakistan team will aim to impress everyone with their improved performances from the past but its highly likely that the Pakistan Women’s Team would seal the semis spot in the group comprising 4 other strong teams.