The previous Pakistan skipper, Bismah Maroof, retired from all forms of international cricket this year in April as she ended her 18-year-long career. Pakistan has moved ahead from Maroof, and now Fatima Sana, the newly appointed skipper, has promised to set a major tone of professionalism for the team.
Fatima claimed that girls in Pakistan are entering the game more, and she wants her career to be an inspiration for future generations. Sana, who has has taken up many responsibilities on her shoulders, is managing a heavy workload to better her performances for the national side.
“Cricket is becoming more common among women in Pakistan. Parents are starting to accept that girls can play… We see a lot of young girls playing in different sports, and this will help us grow as a nation” Sana said in an interview with ESPN Cricinfo.
Sana also exclaimed her desire to be a faster bowler to create more of an impact in the game. She is already Pakistan’s second-highest and third-highest wicket-taker in ODIs and T20Is, respectively.
“My speeds are between 110 or 115 [kph] at the moment. I want to be quicker, but skilful as well. Shabnim Ismail is also small, and she bowled the fastest ball as well. I don’t have an excuse, and in fact, I have a proper example.” Sana added.
Sana said that she desires to do well with the bat as well. She bats lower down the order to hit the powerful strikes and turn the game around, in the latter half. Pakistan doesn’t have a lot of batters who can bat at a solid strike rate and Sana wants to take on that role.
“What we’ve seen is that we struggle with power-hitting,” she said. “My coach has told me that I can hit long. So I will probably be the one doing a lot of power-hitting.” she shed light on her role.
Pakistan Women’s probable performance in the Women’s T20 World Cup
The change in venue has been the major concern for the participating teams in the Women’s T20 World Cup, as pitches in Bangladesh are different from those in the UAE. Though both are similar in types of pitches that facilitate spin, the UAE tracks seem much slower due to the tropical conditions in the United Arab Emirates.
Only the likes of Sri Lanka and Scotland women have previously played against the sides in UAE. The other teams doesn’t have a lot of experience on these tracks.
Fatima Sana might find herself a pile of spin bowlers at her disposal. Nida Dar would be a crucial player and the most experienced alongside Fatima Sana. It will be interesting to see how the Pakistan team fare in the big ticket event.
Pakistan are in Group A alongside Australia, India, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka; however, Pakistan have not won a single match against any of these opponents since 2016. Pakistan has only managed to beat the West Indies and Ireland in World Cups since 2016.
