By The Pakistan women’s cricket team is set to make a comeback in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup after recent series defeats to the West Indies and England. The tournament kicks off on Friday, with Nepal taking on UAE in the opening match. Pakistan will face their archrivals and favorites, India, in their first game a day later.
Under the leadership of Nida Dar, Pakistan is placed in Group ‘A’ alongside India, UAE, and Nepal. Group ‘B’ features Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand, and Sri Lanka.
Pakistan’s recent form has been concerning, with only one win in their last 14 matches across both One-Day Internationals and T20Is. This poor performance has led to yet another overhaul in the coaching staff: Mohammad Wasim is the new head coach, supported by Junaid Khan and Abdur Rehman as the assistant and spin-bowling coaches, respectively. The women’s selection committee has also seen continuous changes.
The team has made significant changes to their squad, with six players dropped from the squad that toured England before the Asia Cup. The 15-member squad recently completed an 11-day training camp in Karachi before traveling to Sri Lanka. Captain Nida Dar expressed optimism about the preparation:
“As a captain, I am looking forward to giving my best. We have worked very hard in the camp and tried to address all our weaknesses,” she said. “We aim to play positive and fearless cricket. We intend to stay positive and showcase our abilities based on the conditions here.”
Following their clash with India, Pakistan’s next matches will be against Nepal on July 21 and UAE on July 23. The top two teams from each group will progress to the semi-finals, with the final scheduled for July 28.
In the previous edition of the T20 Asia Cup held in Sylhet, Bangladesh in October 2022, Pakistan finished among the top four but lost to Sri Lanka by a narrow margin of one run in the semi-finals.
Squad:
- Nida Dar (captain)
- Aliya Riaz
- Diana Baig
- Fatima Sana
- Gull Feroza
- Iram Javed
- Muneeba Ali
- Najiha Alvi
- Nashra Sandhu
- Omaima Sohail
- Sadia Iqbal
- Sidra Amin
- Syeda Aroob Shah
- Tasmia Rubab
- Tuba Hassan
