- Fatima Sana’s Leadership: Fatima Sana stepped into captaincy under challenging circumstances, leading Pakistan to their first-ever away win against New Zealand. She has since emerged as a young leader with exceptional all-round abilities, poised to captain Pakistan in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
- Rapid Career Growth: Starting her international career at 17, Sana quickly became Pakistan’s leading fast bowler. Her journey from playing tape-ball cricket in the streets of Karachi to becoming the ICC Women’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year demonstrates her impressive rise in women’s cricket.
- Challenges in Women’s Cricket: Despite her personal success, Sana highlights the struggles of women’s cricket in Pakistan, including limited infrastructure, a lack of dedicated training facilities, and the absence of a franchise-based T20 league, which she believes are obstacles to developing young talent.
Pakistani cricketer Fatima Sana first experienced the pressures of captaincy in less-than-ideal circumstances. Stepping in for Nida Dar, Sana found herself at the crease with Pakistan struggling at 35 for 4 in the second ODI against New Zealand in Christchurch.
With a determined performance, she scored an unbeaten 90 off 104 balls, including seven fours and a six, helping Pakistan post a target of 221. She also claimed crucial wickets, dismissing New Zealand’s top players, Amelia Kerr and captain Sophie Devine. Despite her efforts, Pakistan lost the match. However, just three days later, she led her team to their first-ever away win against New Zealand.
At this moment, Pakistan stumbled upon an unexpected leader in Sana, who, with her all-round abilities, showcased immense potential to change her team’s trajectory.
Fast forward ten months and the 22-year-old will lead Pakistan in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. “When the Pakistan Cricket Board approached me about the captaincy in August, my entire career flashed before my eyes,” Sana shared in an interview with Al Jazeera before the tournament. “I thought about my humble beginnings and was moved to tears when I told my family.”
Sana’s rise has been rapid. She made her ODI and T20 international debut at 17 in May 2019 and quickly became a key figure in Pakistan’s bowling attack. Her tally of 84 wickets in 82 international matches is the highest for a Pakistani pacer since her debut, marking her as one of the team’s standout performers.
Her journey began in the bustling streets of Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, where she learned the game. “I was about 10 when my brother showed me how to bowl,” she recalled. “I couldn’t get the ball across the pitch, so he told me to run in before bowling, and it worked.”
Like many Pakistani cricketers, Sana grew up playing tape-ball cricket, a popular street version of the game using a tennis ball wrapped in tape for greater control. In the Nazimabad neighborhood of Karachi, where Sana lived, she honed her skills in the same streets that had produced several of Pakistan’s cricket legends.
Her first opponents were her older brothers and their friends, who were always supportive, insisting she play alongside them. Her brother Shehroz, who had given up his own cricket dreams, was especially influential, enrolling her in a local academy and registering her in a zonal women’s tournament. At 11, Sana was the youngest player in the competition, but her fast bowling made her stand out.
During her early training, some coaches suggested she switch to spin bowling, a style more common among women players. But Sana, inspired by fast bowlers like James Anderson and Shoaib Akhtar, refused to give up her dream of becoming a pace bowler.
Sana’s performances led to significant opportunities. By 13, she was playing under-21 cricket, and by 15, she was competing in senior domestic tournaments. Her big break came in 2019 when she was selected by then-captain Sana Mir for a domestic T20 competition, where her seven wickets in seven games caught the attention of selectors.
Former Pakistan cricketer Marina Iqbal, who was part of the selection panel, noted Sana’s determination to succeed. “What stood out was her hunger to become a top player,” Iqbal said. “She was always eager to learn from senior players and showed immense dedication to improve.”
Sana repaid the faith shown in her with stellar performances, earning her the PCB’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year award in 2020. The following year, she achieved international recognition by winning the ICC Women’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year award, the first Pakistani woman to earn such an accolade. This recognition opened doors for her to play in international T20 leagues in the Caribbean, New Zealand, and Dubai, where she gained valuable experience.
Despite her rapid rise, Sana remains grounded, crediting these overseas leagues for helping her grow as a cricketer. “The international players I met helped me identify my strengths and guided me on how to improve,” she explained.
Women’s cricket in Pakistan, however, faces numerous challenges. Though the country was an early participant in women’s international cricket, starting in 1997, its domestic infrastructure lags far behind that of the men’s game. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has increased its budget for women’s cricket, but there are still limited opportunities for female cricketers to train and compete, and the country lacks a franchise-based T20 league for women.
Sana believes this lack of infrastructure hampers the development of young talent. “There’s still a resistance to coaching girls, and not enough facilities for women’s cricket,” she said. Although the PCB had plans to launch a women’s T20 league similar to the men’s Pakistan Super League, the idea was scrapped in 2023, leaving only a smaller domestic T20 competition.
While pace bowling was Sana’s ticket to the international stage, she has worked hard to improve her batting under the guidance of former head coach David Hemp. Now, she has one of the best batting strike rates and averages among Pakistani batters in 2024, making her a valuable all-rounder.
Pakistan’s head coach, Muhammad Wasim, praised her leadership qualities. “Fatima ticks all the boxes as a captain,” he said. “She understands the game well and commands respect from her teammates.”
However, Sana faces a daunting challenge in the upcoming T20 World Cup. Pakistan has never progressed past the group stage, and with tough competition from teams like Australia, India, and New Zealand, they will need a strong performance to advance.
Despite the obstacles, Sana remains optimistic, urging her team to play aggressive cricket, handle pressure, and remain calm in critical moments. She also hopes to inspire the team’s batters to post bigger scores, which has historically been Pakistan’s weakness.
Sana’s leadership style draws inspiration from Sana Mir’s honesty, Heather Knight’s communication skills, and MS Dhoni’s calm demeanor. Though leading Pakistan, a team often under scrutiny, is a tough job, Sana is determined to live in the moment and embrace the challenges ahead. “I just want to give my best and enjoy the responsibility,” she concluded.