Nida Dar will continue to be at the helm of affairs as Pakistan prepare for the Women’s Asia Cup 2024 despite recent dips in her form and the general performance of the team. The event takes place from the 19th to the 28th of July in Dambulla, Sri Lanka.
The squad announcement has brought notable changes, with batters Ayesha Zafar and Sadaf Shamas dropped. Other omissions are Natalia Pervaiz, Rameen Shamim, Umm-e-Hani, and Waheeda Akhtar. In their place, four players who haven’t been involved in international cricket this year have been called up—a big shake-up for the team.
Batting all-rounder Iram Javed makes a comeback to the team after she last played T20I cricket against Bangladesh in the past year. Omaima Sohail and Syeda Aroob Shah also make a comeback from their last outings against New Zealand and South Africa, respectively. Tasmia Rubab, a 22-year-old left-arm fast bowler and one of the promising ones, has found a first international call-up in the list.
The squad changes come as Mohammad Wasim takes over as the new head coach for the Asia Cup, with Junaid Khan as his assistant and Abdur Rehman as the spin-bowling coach. These coaching appointments are currently only for the tenure of the Asia Cup.
This announcement comes just after the four-day training camp held in Karachi, which concluded on June 29. This will be followed by another camp from July 5 to July 16 in Karachi, which is going to be the final preparation before this mega event.
Over the past 18 months, Pakistani women have not been consistent. Much as they won once against South Africa at home and New Zealand away, the team has been facing problems one after another. In their recently held home series, West Indies dominated the show by winning seven of the eight games. Besides, in their tour to England in May, Pakistan received no wins either in T20I or ODI formats.
Plans for a women’s T20 league in Pakistan have ground to a halt with changing administrators. While players called for more games, only three exhibition matches were, in fact, arranged as an ostensible part of the PSL 2023, with no more fixtures in place.
The Women’s Asia Cup 2024 is just around the corner, and this Pakistani side and its fans look forward to a change in fortunes under the leadership of Nida Dar for a successful campaign.
Pakistan squad for the Women’s Asia Cup 2024
Nida Dar (capt), Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Gull Feroza, Iram Javed, Muneeba Ali, Najiha Alvi, Nashra Sandhu, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba Hassan
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