DAMBULLA: The Pakistan women’s cricket team will be back in action for the first time after their series defeats against West Indies and England, in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup, which starts here on Friday.
While Nepal and the UAE will face off in the tournament’s first match, Pakistan’s first match will be against archrivals and favorites India the following day.
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The Nida Dar-led team is placed in Group ‘A’, with India, the UAE, and Nepal. Group ‘B’ includes Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand, and Sri Lanka.
Given Pakistan’s previous results, its chances of winning the trophy are poor. Pakistan has won only one of their past 14 matches, which included both one-day internationals and T20Is.
The poor run culminated in yet another change in their coaching system, with Mohammad Wasim taking over as the team’s third head coach in the previous 12 months, while Junaid Khan and Abdur Rehman were named assistant and spin-bowling coaches, respectively. Add to that the ongoing tuning of the women’s selection committee.
Pakistan enters the competition with up to six players missing from their team that toured England, their final assignment before the T20 Asia Cup.
The 15-member group held an 11-day training camp in Karachi before heading to Sri Lanka, which Nida believes helped the team prepare effectively.
“As captain, I am looking forward to giving my all,” she said in a statement on Thursday. “We worked hard throughout camp to overcome all of the team’s flaws.
“We want to play good and courageous cricket. We plan to remain optimistic in our approach and demonstrate our talents in accordance with the conditions here.”
Following their encounter against India, Pakistan will face Nepal on July 21 and the UAE on July 23. The top two teams in each group will proceed to the semi-finals, with the final scheduled for July 28.
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.
