ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan women’s team will be aiming for a strong display in the ACC Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup, which begins on Tuesday with a match against Nepal at the Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground in Hong Kong.
The team will be led by Fatima Sana in the T20 tournament, which begins on Monday. Pakistan is in Group A, along with Hong Kong, India A, and Nepal. Following tomorrow’s match, Pakistan will face Hong Kong and India A on June 15 and 17, respectively. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals, which will be held on June 19. The tournament’s final will be on June 21.
Pakistan remained winless at the four-team ACC Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2019, which was held in Sri Lanka last month. The 2019 edition featured captain and right-arm fast Fatima, leg spinners Tuba Hassan and Syeda Aroob Shah, and wicketkeeper-batter Najiha Alvi.
Apart from Captain Fatima, six players have already represented Pakistan women’s team in international cricket (31 ODIs, 24 T20Is). Gull Feroza (2 T20Is), Natalia Parvaiz (3 ODIs, 11 T20Is), Sadaf Shamas (4 ODIs, 2 T20Is), Syeda Aroob Shah (2 ODIs, 5 T20Is), Tuba Hassan (1 ODI, 21 T20Is), and Umm-e-Hani (1 ODI) are among those who have played.
Aside from Aroob, three more players – Anoosha Nasir, Shawaal Zulfiqar, and Eyman Fatima – represented Pakistan U19 in the inaugural edition of the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa in January this year. Prior to the 15-day training in Karachi, the players represented Strikers in the first phase of the Pakistan Cup Women’s Cricket Tournament, which was held in Karachi last month and won all three matches under Fatima’s leadership.
Fatima Sana (captain), Anoosha Nasir, Eyman Fatima, Gull Feroza, Gulrukh, Lubna Behram, Najiha Alvi (wk), Natalia Parvaiz, Sadaf Shamas, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani, and Yusra Amir make up the squad. Amber Kainat, Dua Majid, Fatima Khan, and Rameen Shamim are the reserves.
Aisha Jalil (manager), Mohsin Kamal (head coach), Muhammad Kamran Hussain (assistant coach), Muhammad Usman Shahid (analyst), and Rabia Siddiq (physiotherapist) are among the players’ support personnel.
Pakistan’s ACC Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup games are as follows:
June 13 v Nepal at Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground, Hong Kong, 0600 PKT
June 15 v Hong Kong at Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground, Hong Kong, 0600 PKT
June 17 v India A at Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground, Hong Kong, 1030 PKT
