Fatima Sana feels confident as her team prepares for the potential challenges during the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the UAE.
Pakistan has been played in a group with a strong team like Australia, India, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Despite being placed in a challenging group, Sana believes the side feels no pressure and her team is ready for the challenge.
Speaking to the local news channel, ” to bring a different and more fearless approach to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup this year,” said Sana.
“In the past, we’ve often struggled in the Powerplay, with early wickets falling, middle-order collapses, and a slow pace of runs leading to low totals. We’ve also found it difficult to chase targets above 120.”
Captaining for the first time at Women’s #T20WorldCup, Fatima Sana is ready to elevate Pakistan’s game 💪 #WhateverItTakeshttps://t.co/5gofSck2nZ
— ICC (@ICC) September 26, 2024
“We now understand how crucial it is to have positive intent, especially in the powerplay, to set the tone and post competitive scores. If we look at the top teams, they all make the most of the first six overs, which helps them score big and chase high totals.
“Recently, we’ve started playing with more attacking intent, and some young players have shown exciting potential. The game has evolved a lot since I made my debut in 2019. Scores are much higher now, batters play with more freedom, and as a team, we’re adapting to stay competitive.”
Sana was dismissed once in three innings, smashing 101 runs at a team-high strike rate of 157.81 and wants to back up the work of those higher up the order, who have hopefully set things up at the top of the innings.
“This year, Gull Feroza has been in good form, with some strong innings in the Asia Cup. Muneeba Ali, at the top of the order, also performed well in the recent series against South Africa. Both are in good form and bring valuable experience.
“We’ve encouraged them to aim for a strike rate of over 100, a key metric that helps us post higher totals and compete with the best.
“In the middle order, we have experienced players like Nida Dar, Sidra Amin, and Aliya Riaz. I too, have been working hard to bring positive energy to the team through my batting,” said Fatima Sana.
The spin department is well covered with the likes of Sadia Iqbal and Nashra Sundhu during the experience.
“Sadia Iqbal has been phenomenal in the last year. She’s currently ranked No.3 in the ICC T20 rankings, and Nashra Sundhu is also in the top 10.
“Nida Dar is the leading wicket-taker in T20s, and we have two talented leg spinners, Syeda Arooba Shah, who captained Pakistan U19 at the T20 World Cup, and Tuba Hassan, who has been a key player since her debut.
“In the fast-bowling department, Diana Baig’s experience will be a great asset. I’ll do my best, as always, to contribute with both bat and ball, and we also have Tasmia Rubab, a left-arm seamer, which gives us good variety.”
The team has won only one match in the last T20 World Cup campaigns, though with recent wins against New Zealand and India outside of global tournament, Sana sees no reason why her team cannot survive for knockout T20 World Cup cricket.
“This exciting mix of youth and experience has me really looking forward to seeing how it all comes together for Pakistan.
“Before our series against South Africa, we had a good fitness camp, and our performances in that series gave us a lot of positives and confidence to take into the World Cup,” said Fatima Sana.
Sana believes her side can beat whoever faces them in opposition, inspired by the support received back home.
“We aim to win as many as possible and see where that takes us. We know we have a tough group, including reigning champions Australia, but we’ve beaten teams like India and New Zealand recently, and playing against top sides boosts our confidence.
“Playing top teams requires giving your absolute best, and doing so brings out the best in you.
“We know we’ll have strong support from back home during this World Cup. We had great crowds and public interest during the South Africa series in Multan, and we know the nation is behind us.”
Pakistan women will play their first match against Sri Lanka women on October 03 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
