- Pakistan will play a three-match T20I and three-match ODI series against South Africa.
- Nida Dar will captain the Pakistan team.
- South Africa will arrive in Karachi on August 27.
The 15-player squad for Pakistan’s forthcoming bilateral white-ball series against South Africa will be released by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) next month.
According to an official announcement, Nida Dar will serve as the team’s captain. The series against the Proteas women would include three Twenty20 Internationals and three One-Day Internationals, with the latter serving as a component of the ICC Women’s Championship for the years 2022–2025.
Saleem Jaffar, the head selector of the national women’s team, emphasized the inclusion of Syeda Aroob Shah and Natalia Parvaiz in the T20I format in a squad announcement. He praised their recent accomplishments and increased fitness.
“We believe they will bring a new dimension to the team,” he said.
Umm-e-Hani’s inclusion in both squads, he continued, is the result of her remarkable off-spin skills. “With the pitches in Karachi favoring spinners, we are confident that she will play a crucial role in our bowling attack.”
“To bolster our fast-bowling department, we have selected Waheeda Akhter in the ODI squad. With Diana Baig and Fatima Sana leading our pace attack, it’s essential to have cover for them,” he added.
Jaffar, the selector, emphasized the crucial role of the two fast bowlers in ODI cricket, particularly due to the use of two new balls.
The selection committee has included 18-year-old Shawaal Zulfiqar in the squads for both the T20Is and the Asian Games. The T20Is are scheduled for September 1 to 5 at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi, followed by three ODIs on September 8, 11, and 14 at the same venue.
Diana Baig, a right-arm fast bowler, is making a comeback after recovering from a finger injury that kept her out of the game for over six months. She has been selected for both squads. Baig sustained the injury during the third ODI against Australia in January.
Leg-spinner Syeda Aroob Shah, absent since the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2020, is returning to the T20I side after a hiatus of over three years. All-rounder Natalia Parvaiz, who last played for Pakistan in 2018, is also back in the T20I squad and has been kept as a reserve player in the ODI squad.
The uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Najiha Alvi is part of the 15-member T20I squad. Umm-e-Hani, an off-spinner with one ODI appearance, is also included in the T20I squad.
From the last T20I squad that participated in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, Aimen Anwar, Javeria Khan, Ayesha Naseem (who retired from international cricket), Sidra Nawaz, and Tuba Hassan have been omitted. Omaima Sohail is listed as a reserve in the T20I format.
For the ODI squad, Umm-e-Hani and Waheeda Akhtar are chosen in place of Ayesha Naseem and Kainat Imtiaz from the previous tour of Australia earlier this year.
Pakistan women’s team ranks fourth in the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25 points table, having won five out of nine matches.
This will be Pakistan’s third home series in the ICC Women’s Championship, after previously hosting Sri Lanka (2-1) and Ireland (3-0) in Karachi and Lahore respectively last year.
South Africa, on their first-ever tour of Pakistan, will arrive in Karachi on August 27. They are currently placed ninth in the ICC Women’s Championship, having won all three matches against Ireland in June 2022.
Details about the Pakistan team’s training camp and schedule will be provided by the PCB in due course, as stated in the PCB announcement.
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