The Pakistan national selection committee, under the leadership of Saleem Jaffar, has revealed the 15-member squad for the upcoming Pakistan women’s tour of Bangladesh, scheduled later this month. Nida Dar will continue to serve as the captain of the team.
The Pakistan women’s team is set to participate in a six-match white-ball series in Bangladesh, which includes three ODIs. This series is a part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25. Details regarding the series itinerary will be disclosed by the host board in due course.
Iram Javed, an experienced right-handed batter, makes her return to the national squad after a year-long hiatus. Her last appearance for Pakistan was in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022. Iram also represented the Super Women against Amazons in three women’s exhibition T20 matches earlier this year in Rawalpindi.
However, Shawaal Zulfiqar and Syeda Aroob Shah have been omitted from the squad that played in the white-ball series against South Africa last month in Karachi. Fatima Sana, who sustained an injury in the second ODI against South Africa, is still on the path to recovery. Shawaal and Aroob are currently part of the 28 probables in the Pakistan women’s emerging team, taking part in the training camp in Muridke. The emerging team is scheduled to play a bilateral series and a triangular tournament involving the emerging cricket teams of West Indies and Thailand later this month.
The Pakistan squad for the Bangladesh tour includes:
- Nida Dar (Captain)
- Aliya Riaz
- Bismah Maroof
- Diana Baig
- Ghulam Fatima
- Iram Javed
- Muneeba Ali (wicket-keeper)
- Najiha Alvi (wicket-keeper)
- Nashra Sundhu
- Natalia Parvaiz
- Sadaf Shamas
- Sadia Iqbal
- Sidra Amin
- Umm-e-Hani
- Waheeda Akhtar
Non-travelling reserves: Amber Kainat, Omaima Sohail, and Sidra Nawaz (wicket-keeper).
The player support personnel for the tour include Nahida Khan (manager), Mauhtashim Rashid (interim head coach), Saleem Jaffar (bowling coach), Taufiq Umar (batting coach), Abdur Rehman (spin bowling coach for the 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 expressed the selection committee’s strategy, stating, “Our selection committee has carefully deliberated over the squad for the Bangladesh tour, aiming to strike the right balance between bat and ball. We believe this squad is well-equipped to face the challenges in Bangladesh.”
He also explained the decision to omit Shawaal Zulfiqar, stating that she needs further grooming before making an international return, and highlighted the return of the experienced Iram Javed, who is expected to strengthen the batting order in Bangladesh’s conditions.
The Pakistan women’s team is scheduled for a six-day training camp at the Ghani Institute for Cricket in DHA, Lahore, starting from Saturday, 14 October. Following the camp, they will depart for Bangladesh via Dubai from Lahore on the early hours of 20 October. The players will participate in practice sessions, various match scenarios, and a 50-over practice match during the camp.
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