Women on the crease

It was a Twenty20 World Cup match at Newlands, South Africa, last week and Pakistan were playing. But not many were following it back home. Not many followed women’s cricket in a country where the male cricketers are treated as the biggest sporting heroes. Their women counterparts are, however, a different story. But an unassuming 25-year-old from Karachi forced cricket fans to take notice of her and a Pakistan women’s team that continues to punch beyond its weight despite all odds. Muneeba Ali Siddiqui, a left-handed opening batter, gave a knock for the ages and became the first Pakistani to hit a century in the T20 World Cup as she guided her team to an emphatic 70-run triumph against Ireland. The stunning victory kept Pakistan alive in the race to qualify for the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup. Muneeba’s 102 from just 68 balls was the first century by a Pakistani batter in the T20I format and only the sixth by any player in the history of the Women’s T20 World Cup. Her knock helped Pakistan post a formidable total of 165-5 – the highest score in the contest so far – before the vastly-talented leggie Nashra Sundhu who took 4-18 and seasoned off-spinner Nida Dar (2-15) rattled Ireland’s batting line-up to give Pakistan a much-needed victory.

Muneeba’s ton is not just a career-defining innings by the player but also proof of the fact that women’s cricket in Pakistan has come a long way from the days when it was seen as a mere sidekick. Today, several of the Pakistani cricketers like Sana Mir and Nida Dar are well-respected names on the international women’s cricket circuit. With her heroics at Newlands, Muneeba has joined them. She and her team-mates now face the West Indies and England in the remaining group matches. They will need to swim against the tide and beat these higher-ranked teams in their bid to make the T20 World Cup semi-finals. It’s an uphill task and it’s quite likely that Pakistan might not qualify for the last four. But the way they played against India in a narrow loss and then trounced Ireland shows that the Pakistani girls are no pushovers, not even at the highest level. Give it some time and support and the Pakistan women’s team will surely go on to become one of the world’s best sides. Players like Muneeba, Nashra and Nida will certainly inspire a new generation of Pakistani girls to take up cricket at the professional level.

Pakistan’s rise at the international level comes at a time when things are getting more and more exciting for women’s cricket. Last month, India announced the launch of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) worth millions of dollars. Before that record crowds attended the bilateral women’s series matches between hosts India and Australia. After staying on the sidelines for decades, international women cricketers are now in the limelight. And Pakistani women are no exception. They might not get a chance to feature in the cash-rich WPL but will soon be seen in action in a professional league in Pakistan as the country’s cricket chiefs are planning to launch it next year. This would be a welcome step. Pakistan’s women cricketers have come of age. They are now set for international glory. More power to our girls.