- The South African women’s cricket team will tour Pakistan in August/September for their inaugural series.
- The tour will include three T20Is and three ODIs as part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25.
- Pakistan women’s cricket team has a busy season ahead, with several series planned, including tours to Bangladesh, New Zealand, and England.
The women’s cricket team of South Africa is set to embark on their inaugural tour of Pakistan in August/September, marking the beginning of a busy 2023-24 international cricket season for the Pakistan women’s cricket team.
During their visit, South Africa will engage in three T20Is and three ODIs of the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25, taking place in Karachi from 1st to 14th September.
Presently, Pakistan occupies the second position on the points table with five wins in nine ODIs across three series. At the same time, South Africa has only played one series of three ODIs and has accumulated six points.
In the inaugural edition of the ICC Women’s Championship from 2014 to 2016, Pakistan hosted South Africa in Sharjah, where the African team emerged victorious, winning the series 2-1. In the subsequent edition from 2017 to 2020, Pakistan toured South Africa, resulting in a 1-1 draw after a thrilling tie in the third ODI in Benoni.
In recent times, South Africa will become the fourth prominent national women’s team to tour Pakistan. In January 2019, the West Indies women’s team played three T20Is in Karachi, and in May and November 2022, Sri Lanka and Ireland respectively participated in ODIs and T20Is held in Karachi and Lahore.
Additionally, in March, three exhibition matches of the Women’s League featured 11 cricketers from seven countries, including three captains, in Rawalpindi.
The home series against South Africa is one of the five ICC Women’s Championship series that Pakistan will be a part of during the 2023-24 season. Following this, Pakistan will travel to Bangladesh in October, followed by tours to New Zealand in November and England in May 2024. Prior to their tour to England, Pakistan will host the West Indies in April 2024.
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This implies that Pakistan’s women cricketers will be involved in 15 ODIs of the ICC Women’s Championship and 17 T20Is over the next 12 months. The tally of T20Is is likely to increase as the team is expected to participate in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, in September. Pakistan’s women’s side had previously won gold in Guangzhou (2010) and Incheon (2014) when women’s cricket was included in the Asian Games.
With the aim of recognizing talent and investing in the future, the Pakistan Women’s Wing has scheduled two emerging series against the West Indies in October and Bangladesh in January. Against the West Indies Emerging side, Pakistan will play three 50-over and three T20 matches, while during the tour to Bangladesh, the Pakistan U19 squad will engage in five T20 matches.
The upcoming series against South Africa will mark all-rounder Nida Dar’s debut as captain. Nida is one of the most experienced players in the country, having played 99 ODIs and 130 T20Is.
Nida Dar, the captain of Pakistan, stated, “The following 12 months will be extremely hectic for the Pakistan women’s cricket team, and I eagerly anticipate the upcoming assignments. These matches will play a significant role in our quest for experience and exposure while closing the gap with the front-runners.”
“Our busy season will commence with the home series against South Africa, which will also serve as my inaugural series as captain. I hope to make it a memorable one by reaching the milestone of completing a century of ODIs and assisting the team in accumulating valuable points in the ICC Women’s Championship, allowing us to secure a favourable position. However, to achieve this, we must perform exceptionally well since South Africa is a seasoned team with several skilled players,” she added.
Suné Luus, who captained South Africa in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 and also participated in the Women’s League Exhibition matches in Rawalpindi, expressed her excitement about playing a bilateral series in Pakistan. She praised the warm hospitality and passionate cricket fans she encountered during her previous visit earlier in the year. Luus emphasized that Pakistan is a highly competitive and formidable opponent on their home ground, making the upcoming series an anticipated event.
The schedule for Pakistan in the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25 includes matches against South Africa in Karachi from the 1st to the 14th of September, followed by a tour to Bangladesh in October/November 2023 for three ODIs and three T20Is.
In November/December 2023, Pakistan will tour New Zealand for three ODIs and three T20Is, and in April/May 2024, the West Indies will visit Pakistan for three ODIs and five T20Is. The final tour will be to England in May 2024 for three ODIs and three T20Is.
Pakistan’s performance in the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25 thus far includes a series win against Sri Lanka (2-1), a clean sweep against Ireland (3-0), and a series loss to Australia (0-3).
Other series on the agenda include the 19th Asian Games in China in September 2023, a tour by the West Indies emerging team to Pakistan in October/November 2023 featuring three T20s and three one-day matches, and a Pakistan U19 tour to Bangladesh in January 2024 consisting of five T20 matches.
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Pakistan’s schedule in the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25:
vs South Africa (all matches in Karachi)
27 Aug – South Africa team arrival
1 Sep – First T20I v South Africa
3 Sep – Second T20I v South Africa
5 Sep – Third T20I v South Africa
8 Sep – First ODI v South Africa
11 Sep – Second ODI v South Africa
14 Sep – Third ODI v South Africa
Oct/Nov 2023 – Pakistan tour to Bangladesh (three ODIs & three T20Is)
Nov/Dec 2023 – Pakistan tour to New Zealand (three ODIs & three T20Is)
Apr/May 2024 – West Indies tour to Pakistan (three ODIs & five T20Is)
May 2024 – Pakistan tour to England (three ODIs & three T20Is)
Pakistan’s performance in the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25 to date:
vs Sri Lanka (won 2-1)
vs Ireland (won 3-0)
vs Australia (lost 3-0)
Additional series
Sep 2023 – 19th Asian Games, China
Oct/Nov 2023 – West Indies emerging team tour to Pakistan (three T20s and three one-days)
Jan 2024 – Pakistan U19 tour to Bangladesh (five T20s)
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