Fatima Sana to lead Pakistan women squad on South Africa tour
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday announced the Pakistan women’s squads for the upcoming tour of South Africa, confirming that Fatima Sana will lead the Pakistan women squad in both the T20 International and One Day International series.
According to the PCB, Pakistan women will play three T20Is and three ODIs during the tour, which will run from February 10 to March 1. The T20I series will be staged between February 10 and 16 across Potchefstroom, Benoni and Kimberley.
Following the T20I series, the women’s team will play a 50-over warm-up match at Kimberley on February 19 before the ODI series gets underway. The three ODIs will be played in Bloemfontein, Centurion and Durban from February 22 to March 1.
Players including Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Zafar, Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali, Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Rameen Shamim, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin and Tasmia Rubab have been named in both squads. Middle-order batter Saira Jabeen and fast bowler Humna Bilal have earned their maiden T20I call-ups.
Opening batters Ayesha Zafar and Gul Feroza, left-arm pacer Tasmia Rubab, and wicketkeeper-batter Najiha Alvi return to the ODI squad after missing selection for the previous ODI World Cup.
Meanwhile, Diana Baig, Sadaf Shams and Syeda Aroob Shah have been selected exclusively for the ODI squad, while Humna Bilal, Saira Jabeen, Tuba Hassan and Eyman Fatima have been included only in the T20I squad.
The South Africa tour marks Pakistan women’s return to the country for a bilateral series after five years. Pakistan last toured South Africa during the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, with matches played in Cape Town and Paarl.
The touring party will be supported by mentor Wahab Riaz, batting coach Imran Farhat, fast bowling coach Umaid Asif, spin bowling coach Abdur Rehman, and team manager Ayesha Ashar, among other support staff.
Pakistan Women’s tour of South Africa schedule:
1st T20I: February 10 — JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom (day/night)
2nd T20I: February 13 — Willowmoore Park, Benoni (day/night)
3rd T20I: February 16 — Kimberley Oval, Kimberley (day/night)
50-over warm-up match: February 19 — Kimberley Oval, Kimberley (day)
1st ODI: February 22 — Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein (day)
2nd ODI: February 25 — SuperSport Park, Centurion (day/night)
3rd ODI: March 1 — Kingsmead Stadium, Durban (day)
