LAHORE: Fatima Sana has been appointed as the captain of the Pakistan women's cricket team for the upcoming ACC Emerging Women’s T20 Asia Cup, which will take place in Hong Kong next month. The national women’s selection committee has announced a 14-player squad for the tournament, including four players who participated in the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup earlier this year. The tournament, featuring eight teams, is scheduled to be held from June 12 to 21.
The squad was finalised based on performances observed during the T20 phase of the Pakistan Cup Women’s Cricket Tournament and the emerging camp held in Multan in March. Fatima Sana, who has previously played 31 One-Day Internationals and 24 T20 Internationals, was chosen as the captain due to her successful leadership in domestic tournaments. She led the Strikers, consisting of the probable players for this squad, to victories in all three matches during the tournament. She also led the Blasters to a successful T20 Championship campaign in Lahore in December.
Pakistan has been placed in Group A alongside Hong Kong, India A, and Thailand A. Their campaign will commence on June 13 with a match against Thailand A, followed by matches against Hong Kong and India A on 15th and 17th, respectively. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals, which will be played on 19th. The final of the tournament is scheduled for 21st. The team is scheduled to depart for Hong Kong on June 9. The player support personnel for the team include Aisha Jalil as the manager, Mohsin Kamal as the head coach, Kamran Hussain as the assistant coach, Usman Shahid as the analyst, and Rabia Siddiq as the physiotherapist.
Squad: Fatima Sana (captain), Anoosha Nasir, Eyman Fatima, Gull Feroza, Gulrukh, Lubna Behram, Najiha Alvi (wicketkeeper), Natalia Parvaiz, Sadaf Shamas, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani, and Yusra Amir. The reserves for the squad are Amber Kainat, Dua Majid, Fatima Khan, and Rameen Shamim.
