In an exciting development for women’s cricket, the South Africa women’s cricket team is set to embark on their maiden tour of Pakistan in August and September. The tour will mark the beginning of a busy international cricket season for the Pakistan women’s cricket team in 2023-24.

The South African team will engage in three T20Is and three ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25 ODIs in Karachi from September 1 to 14. Currently, Pakistan holds the second position on the points table with five wins in nine ODIs across three series, while South Africa has played only one series of three ODIs and has accumulated six points.

This upcoming tour follows previous high-profile visits by West Indies, Sri Lanka, and Ireland women’s cricket teams to Pakistan. West Indies played three T20Is in Karachi in January 2019, while Sri Lanka and Ireland played ODIs and T20Is in Karachi and Lahore in May and November 2022, respectively. Furthermore, the Women’s League Exhibition matches in Rawalpindi featured 11 cricketers from seven countries, including three captains.

The home series against South Africa is part of the five ICC Women’s Championship series that Pakistan will participate in during the 2023-24 season. Following the South Africa tour, Pakistan will travel to Bangladesh in October, followed by tours to New Zealand in November and England in May 2024. Additionally, Pakistan will host the West Indies in April 2024 before their tour to England.

Over the next 12 months, Pakistan’s women cricketers will be involved in 15 ICC Women’s Championship ODIs and 17 T20Is. The tally of T20Is is likely to increase as the team is expected to participate in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, in September. Pakistan’s women’s team had previously clinched gold in Guangzhou (2010) and Incheon (2014) when women’s cricket was included in the Asian Games.

In addition to these series, the Pakistan Women’s Wing has planned two emerging series against the West Indies (in October) and Bangladesh (in January). The series against the West Indies Emerging side will include three 50-over matches and three T20 matches, while the Pakistan U19 squad will play five T20 matches during the tour to Bangladesh.

Nida Dar, one of the most experienced players in Pakistan, will lead the team as captain for the first time during the forthcoming series against South Africa. With 99 ODIs and 130 T20Is under her belt, Nida is eager to make her captaincy debut a memorable one by achieving a century of ODIs and collecting valuable ICC Women’s Championship points.  Reaction to the announcement Pakistan captain Nida Dar said:

“The next 12 months will be incredibly busy for the Pakistan women’s cricket team and I look forward to the upcoming assignments with excitement and anticipation. These matches will contribute significantly in our endeavours to gain experience and exposure, and narrow gap with the front-runners.

“The busy season will start with the home series against South Africa, which will also be my first series as captain. I am hoping to make it a memorable one for myself by not only completing a century of ODIs but also assisting the side to collect valuable ICC Women’s Championship points so that we can finish in the upper half of the draw. However, to achieve this, we will have to play outstandingly well as South Africa is an experienced side that possesses a number of quality players.”

Suné Luus, who captained South Africa in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 and participated in the Women’s League Exhibition matches in Rawalpindi, expressed her excitement about returning to Pakistan for a bilateral series. Luus praised the warm hospitality and passionate cricket fans she encountered during her previous visit and acknowledged Pakistan’s competitiveness on their home ground. Luss said:

“I am extremely excited to be back to play a bilateral series in Pakistan. Having visited Pakistan earlier this year for the women’s league exhibition matches, I was truly impressed by the warm hospitality and the passionate cricket fans. The players were very friendly, it was really great to be there and experience the country. Pakistan is always a very competitive and dangerous side at their own backyard, so I feel it’s going to be a good series. The ODIs being a part of ICC Women’s Championship is very important for women’s cricket, and we all are looking forward to it.”

The upcoming series between Pakistan and South Africa promises to be an enthralling contest, with both teams eager to secure crucial ICC Women’s Championship points. Women’s cricket enthusiasts can look forward to an action-packed season as Pakistan’s women cricketers aim to gain experience, narrow the gap with the leading teams, and achieve success on the international stage.

Pakistan’s schedule in the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25:

vs South Africa (all matches in Karachi)

27 Aug – South Africa team arrival
1 Sep – First T20I v South Africa
3 Sep – Second T20I v South Africa
5 Sep – Third T20I v South Africa
8 Sep – First ODI v South Africa
11 Sep – Second ODI v South Africa
14 Sep – Third ODI v South Africa
Oct/Nov 2023 – Pakistan tour to Bangladesh (three ODIs & three T20Is)
Nov/Dec 2023 – Pakistan tour to New Zealand (three ODIs & three T20Is)
Apr/May 2024 – West Indies tour to Pakistan (three ODIs & five T20Is)
May 2024 – Pakistan tour to England (three ODIs & three T20Is)

Pakistan’s performance in the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25 to date:

vs Sri Lanka (won 2-1)
vs Ireland (won 3-0)
vs Australia (lost 3-0)

Additional series

Sep 2023 – 19th Asian Games, China
Oct/Nov 2023 – West Indies emerging team tour to Pakistan (three T20s and three one-days)
Jan 2024 – Pakistan U19 tour to Bangladesh (five T20s)