Asim Tanveer
Nida Dar will continue to lead Pakistan women’s team as the national selection committee headed by Saleem Jaffar announced a 15-member squad for the Bangladesh tour scheduled to take place later this month.
Pakistan will depart for Bangladesh on 20 October to feature in a six-match white-ball series which also includes three ODIs, part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25. The series itinerary will be announced in due course by the home board.
The experienced Iram Javed stages a comeback to the national side after a gap of one year. The right-handed batter last played for Pakistan in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022. Iram also featured for Super Women against Amazons in the three women’s exhibition T20 matches earlier this year in Rawalpindi.
Shawaal Zulfiqar and Syeda Aroob Shah have been excluded from the squad that played against South Africa last month in the white-ball series in Karachi, while Fatima Sana, who got injured in the second ODI against South Africa, is still in the process of recovering. Both Shawaal and Aroob are part of the 28 probables of the Pakistan women’s emerging team taking part in the training camp in Muridke. The emerging team will play a bilateral series and a triangular tournament involving West Indies and Thailand’s emerging cricket teams later this month.
Pakistan squad:
Nida Dar (captain), Aliya Riaz, Bismah Maroof, Diana Baig, Ghulam Fatima, Iram Javed, Muneeba Ali (wk), Najiha Alvi (wk), Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Umm-e-Hani and Waheeda Akhtar
Non-travelling reserves – Amber Kainat, Omaima Sohail and Sidra Nawaz (wk)
Player support personnel: Nahida Khan (manager), Mauhtashim Rashid (interim head coach), Saleem Jaffar (bowling coach), Taufiq Umar (batting coach), Abdur Rehman (spin bowling coach for camp only) Muhammad Asfand Yar (strength and conditioning coach), Syed Nazir Ahmed (media manager), Rifat Asghar Gill (physiotherapist) and Zubair Ahmed (analyst)
Chief Selector Saleem Jaffar: “Our selection committee has carefully deliberated over the squad for the Bangladesh tour, aiming to strike the right balance between bat and ball, as we believe this squad is well-equipped to face the challenges in Bangladesh.
Young Shawaal Zulfiqar has been omitted from the squad as she requires more grooming before representing again at the international level. The members of the selection committee have recalled experienced Iram Javed in the squad. Iram’s presence will undoubtedly strengthen our batting order in Bangladesh conditions.
Fatima Sana is on the road to recovery, and we are committed to giving her the time she needs to be fully prepared for the upcoming away series against New Zealand where the selection committee feels the right-arm fast bowler will be more productive.
Meanwhile, Pakistan women’s team will undergo a six-day camp at Ghani Institute for Cricket in DHA, Lahore from Saturday, 14 October before departing for Bangladesh via Dubai from Lahore in the wee hours of 20 October. The players besides taking part in practice sessions will feature in different match scenarios and will also play a 50-over practice match in the camp.