ICC Women’s Championship: Fatima Sana returns for series against Ireland

LAHORE: Right-arm fast bowler Fatima Sana returned to the national side for the three-match ODI series and three-match T20I series against Ireland scheduled to take place in Lahore from 4th November to 16th November.

The three ODIs are part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25 and will be played from 4-9 November at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

The 20-year old Fatima was ruled out of the ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup held earlier this month in Sylhet, Bangladesh after she twisted her ankle playing for Barbados Royals Women in the Caribbean Premier League. Fatima replaces Diana Baig in both squads, as the latter is not part of the series due to a shoulder injury she sustained while playing in the ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup.

Meanwhile, the 15-player T20I squad unveiled by national women team’s chief selector Asmavia Iqbal also includes Javeria Khan. Javeria last featured for Pakistan in the shortest format was in July 2021 against the West Indies at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.

The squads were finalized after deliberations amongst Asmavia Iqbal; interim head coach Saleem Jaffer and captain Bismah Maroof. There are only two changes in the T20I squad that featured in the recently concluded ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup and three changes in the ODI squad that played against Sri Lanka in Karachi in June this year.

The players who missed out in the ODI squad are Anam Amin, Gull Feroza and Diana Baig (due to injury). Nashra Sandhu, Kainat Imtiaz and Umm-e-Hani come in as their replacements. In the T20Is, Javeria Khan comes in place of Sidra Nawaz.

Pakistan ODI squad: Bismah Maroof (c), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Fatima Sana, Ghulam Fatima, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali (wk), Nashra Sandhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz (wk) and Umm-e-Hani.

Pakistan T20I squad: Bismah Maroof (c), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Naseem, Fatima Sana, Javeria Khan, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali (wk), Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Nashra Sandhu, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin and Tuba Hassan.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022