- Pakistan women’s cricket captain Fatima Sana is adopting a fearless and aggressive approach for the 2025 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, focusing on maximizing the powerplay and improving their strike rates to post competitive totals.
- Key players like Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali, and Nida Dar have shown strong form, while bowlers like Sadia Iqbal and Nashra Sandhu are leading Pakistan’s spin department, crucial for Dubai’s conditions.
- The team is motivated by recent positive performances, aiming to improve on their past World Cup results and compete strongly against top teams like Australia, with high hopes for local support.
Pakistan women’s cricket team captain, Fatima Sana, is determined to lead her team with a bold, fearless approach in the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
“We’ve faced challenges in the powerplay before, losing early wickets, experiencing middle-order collapses, and accumulating runs too slowly, which often resulted in low totals. We’ve also struggled to chase targets over 120,” she shared in an interview with ICC.
Sana emphasized the importance of starting strong in the powerplay with a positive intent to set the tone and reach competitive scores. “Top teams make the most of the first six overs, enabling them to post big totals or chase high scores,” she added.
Recently, Pakistan’s team has shifted towards a more attacking game, and young players have shown promising potential. “The game has evolved significantly since my debut in 2019, with higher scores and more freedom for batters. We’re adapting to stay competitive,” Sana explained.
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Highlighting individual performances, Sana pointed out Gull Feroza’s strong form during the Asia Cup and Muneeba Ali’s solid displays in the recent South Africa series. Both batters are expected to maintain a strike rate above 100, which will help Pakistan achieve higher totals. In the middle order, experienced players like Nida Dar, Sidra Amin, and Aliya Riaz are crucial, with Sana herself contributing with both bat and ball.
On the bowling side, Sadia Iqbal has been exceptional, currently ranked #3 in the ICC T20 rankings, while Nashra Sandhu is also among the top 10 bowlers. Nida Dar is the leading wicket-taker in T20 cricket, and two energetic leg spinners, Syeda Arooba Shah and Tuba Hassan, add strength to the spin department, vital for the conditions in Dubai.
In fast bowling, Diana Baig’s experience will be invaluable, and left-arm seamer Tasmia Rubab adds variety to the attack. Sana pledged to give her best with both bat and ball.
The team’s mix of youth and experience has left Sana optimistic about their prospects. Reflecting on their recent performance, she noted, “Before our South Africa series, we had a productive fitness camp, and our results gave us confidence heading into the World Cup.”
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Pakistan’s highest-ever T20I total of 181 runs during the South Africa series was a testament to their evolving strategy. While disappointed by their loss to Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup, the team is eager to rectify that when they face Sri Lanka again in the World Cup opener.
Sana highlighted that Pakistan has won one match in each of the last six T20 World Cups, but this time, they aim to win as many as possible. She acknowledged the challenge of facing reigning champions Australia in their group but pointed out that recent wins against India and New Zealand have boosted their confidence.
She concluded by expressing gratitude for the support from fans back home, particularly during the South Africa series in Multan, and looked forward to a successful T20 World Cup, saying, “Insha’Allah, we’ll have a great tournament.”
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