Pakistan’s top women cricketers will take the field in the City of Lights as the Pakistan Cup Women’s Cricket Tournament 2022-23 is set to get underway from Friday, 19 May. The tournament, designed to provide extensive match practice, will feature two iterations with T20 matches in the first phase and one-day matches in the second phase.

In the initial phase, four teams will compete in T20 matches on a round-robin basis, while three teams will engage in one-day matches on a double round-robin basis, culminating in the final on 4 June. This tournament will serve as a platform for the probables for the ACC Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup, scheduled to be held in Hong Kong in June, where they can showcase their skills and gain valuable experience under challenging conditions.

The Strikers, led by Pakistan’s renowned fast bowler Fatima Sana, will consist of the probables for the ACC Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup. Muneeba Ali will captain the Blasters, the only batter from Pakistan to score a century in T20Is, while the Challengers will be captained by Sadia Iqbal, a left-arm orthodox spinner. Sidra Amin, a right-handed top-order batter, will lead the Dynamites.

The T20 matches will be held from 19 to 21 May at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre Oval Ground and State Bank Ground. Following this, from 23 May onwards, the Blasters, Challengers, and Dynamites will transition into the 50-over format. Each team will face the other twice, and the top two teams will battle it out in the final at the State Bank Ground.

Incentivizing top performers, the winning side will receive PKR 1 million, with PKR 500,000 awarded to the runners-up. Additionally, player of the match winners will receive PKR 20,000, and the player of the tournament will be awarded PKR 50,000.

Head of Women’s Cricket, Tania Mallick, explained the rationale behind the tournament’s two-phase structure, stating that it provides a diverse range of formats and challenges to the players. She expressed excitement about the opportunity for talented women cricketers to showcase their skills and compete against each other.

The squads for the Pakistan Cup Women’s Cricket Tournament are as follows:

Blasters: Muneeba Ali (captain), Aleena Shah, Anam Amin, Asma Amin, Ayesha Bilal, Ayesha Javed, Ayesha Zafar, Diana Baig, Fajar Naveed, Iram Javed, Kainat Imtiaz, Saba Nazir, Saiqa Riaz, Zaib-un-Nisa, and Zunera Shah.

Challengers: Sadia Iqbal (captain), Aima Saleem, Amber Kainat, Areesha Noor, Fareeha Mehmood, Fatima Zehra, Huraina Sajjad, Javeria Khan, Javeria Rauf, Kaynat Hafeez, Maham Tariq, Masooma Zehra, Noreen Yaqoob, Saima Malik, and Warda Yousaf.

Dynamites: Sidra Amin (captain), Aliya Riaz, Bismah Maroof, Fatima Shahid, Ghulam Fatima, Humna Bilal, Khadija Chishti, Laiba Nasir, Maham Manzoor, Nashra Sundhu, Omaima Sohail, Rameen Shamim, Sidra Nawaz, Waheeda Akhtar, and Yusra Amir.

Strikers: Fatima Sana (captain), Anoosha Nasir, Dua Majid, Eyman Fatima, Fatima Khan, Gull Feroza, Gulrukh, Lubna Behram, Najiha Alvi, Natalia Parvaiz, Sadaf Shamas, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tuba Hassan, and Umm-e-Hani.

The tournament schedule is as follows (matches start at 9 am):

First phase (T20 format):

• 19 May: Dynamites vs Blasters at the State Bank Ground.
• Challengers vs Strikers at the Oval Academy Ground.
• 20 May: Dynamites vs Challengers at the State Bank Ground.
• Blasters vs Strikers at the Oval Academy Ground.
• 21 May: Dynamites vs Strikers at the State Bank Ground.
• Blasters vs Challengers at the Oval Academy Ground.

Second phase (50-over format):

• 23 May: Blasters vs Dynamites at the State Bank Ground.
• 25 May: Blasters vs Challengers at the State Bank Ground.
• 27 May: Dynamites vs Challengers at the State Bank Ground.
• 29 May: Dynamites vs Blasters at the State Bank Ground.
• 31 May: Challengers vs Blasters at the State Bank Ground.
• 2 June: Challengers vs Dynamites at the State Bank Ground.
• 4 June: Final at the State Bank Ground.

The Pakistan Cup Women’s Cricket Tournament promises thrilling competition and high-quality cricket, providing a platform for talented women cricketers to shine and hone their skills.