Pakistan will be aiming to reach the semi-finals for the first time at the ICC Women’s ODI Cricket World Cup, with their campaign beginning against India a highly-anticipated encounter.
Boosted by the return of skipper Bismah Maroof, who was away on maternity leave, Pakistan head into the tournament based on the ICC ODI Team Rankings after the 2021 Women’s World Cup Qualifier was called off due to Covid-19.
Bismah Maroof will face a challenging prospect to get going too as she was away from international cricket for a period of time, having last played for Pakistan back in February 2020. The 30-year-old’s last One-Day International was in December 2019.
Recent form
Pakistan’s recent record isn’t promising, having won seven and lost 15 matches since 2019. After recording a series win over West Indies in the UAE in February 2019, Pakistan have lost ODI series against England, South Africa, West Indies (twice) and drawn series against Bangladesh and South Africa.
But in encouraging signs, Pakistan won both their warm-up matches, defeating hosts New Zealand and subcontinent rivals Bangladesh.
Since Jul 24, 2017 (8 participating teams)
| Team | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | W/L | Scoring rate | Highest score | Lowest score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | 33 | 31 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 15.500 | 5.44 | 332 | 241 |
| ENG | 41 | 23 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 1.352 | 4.89 | 347 | 75 |
| IND | 40 | 19 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0.904 | 4.60 | 302 | 113 |
| NZ | 40 | 16 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0.666 | 5.05 | 491 | 93 |
| PAK | 34 | 11 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0.523 | 4.04 | 265 | 70 |
| BAN | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 3.43 | 211 | 71 |
| SA | 43 | 28 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 2.800 | 4.44 | 299 | 63 |
| WI | 39 | 13 | 22 | 2 | 2 | 0.590 | 3.96 | 292 | 105 |
Pakistan's results in ODIs since Jan 1 2021
| Team | Result | Margin | Opposition | Ground | Start Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PAK | lost | 3 runs | v SA | Durban | 20 Jan 2021 |
| PAK | lost | 13 runs | v SA | Durban | 23 Jan 2021 |
| PAK | lost | 32 runs | v SA | Durban | 26 Jan 2021 |
| PAK | lost | 5 wickets | v WI | Coolidge | 7 Jul 2021 |
| PAK | lost | 8 wickets | v WI | Coolidge | 9 Jul 2021 |
| PAK | lost | 8 wickets | v WI | North Sound | 12 Jul 2021 |
| PAK | won | 4 wickets | v WI | North Sound | 15 Jul 2021 |
| PAK | won | 22 runs | v WI | Coolidge | 18 Jul 2021 |
| PAK | lost | 45 runs | v WI | Karachi | 8 Nov 2021 |
| PAK | lost | 37 runs | v WI | Karachi | 11 Nov 2021 |
| PAK | lost | 6 wickets | v WI | Karachi | 14 Nov 2021 |
| PAK | lost | 3 wickets | v Bdesh Wmn | Harare | 21 Nov 2021 |
| PAK | won | 114 runs | v Zim | Harare | 27 Nov 2021 |
Captain’s corner
Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof:
“We are well prepared and we had good practice sessions and good warm up games and I think the things we haven’t done well in the last year, we have spoken about them. Whoever takes the pressure well and plays well to their strength, that team will win.
“I think India are very strong and good side. I really want my team to focus on our strengths and what we can do to our best potential and yes, we will focus on that.
“We have spoken about the top order not scoring as much as they should. We’re hoping that in this World Cup as a batting unit, we can put up a good show.
“We have improved as a fast bowling unit, especially Diana and Fatima Sana have come far and I think we have gelled together and it’s just that we have the right combination in our bowling, all the bowlers complement each other.”
History at the tournament
Best result: Fifth place in 2009
Pakistan have only once made it past the group stage in the past, reaching the Super Six stage in 2009 and finishing fifth. In 2017, the team finished the group stage without a win.
Sana Mir is Pakistan’s leading ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup wicket-taker with 17 while she sits behind only Nain Abidi (337) in her country’s run-scoring charts.
Current squad
Bismah Maroof (c), Nida Dar (vc), Aiman Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Ghulam Fatima, Javeria Khan, Muneeba Ali, Nahida Khan, Nashra Sandhu, Omaima Sohail, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz.
Traveling reserves: Iram Javed, Najiha Alvi and Tuba Hassan.
Players to watch out for
Stalwarts:
Diana Baig: Diana Baig made an impression at her first World Cup in 2017, the right-arm medium-fast bowler taking seven wickets.
That now means she is the joint-best performer at a World Cup in the current Pakistan squad, sharing the accolade with Nashra Sandhu who has also took seven scalps, but Baig did so with a better average.
Bismah Maroof: Bismah Maroof will lead Pakistan at an ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup for the first time but has long put in valuable performances.
Since making her debut in 2009 Maroof has scored 195 runs at a strike rate of 43.52 and has also bowled sparingly when called to, with an economy of 4.61.
Debutant:
Ghulam Fatima: Ghulam Fatima made her debut during the qualifiers for the 2017 World Cup appearing three times but was not picked for the actual tournament and hasn’t played an ODI since.
But she is back in the fold as Pakistan search for a first World Cup and despite not making it into the final squad for the 2017 edition, Fatima still impressed in green.
The right-arm spinner took six wickets in three matches including best returns of three for 28 against Bangladesh.
It would be fitting for Fatima to make her World Cup debut against South Africa, the same team Pakistan faced when her international career began.
Fixtures
- PAKISTAN vs INDIA, Sun 06 March 06:30 IST, Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
- AUSTRALIA vs PAKISTAN, Tue 08 March 06:30 IST, Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
- PAKISTAN vs SOUTH AFRICA, Fri 11 March 06:30 IST, Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
- PAKISTAN vs BANGLADESH, Mon 14 March 03:30 IST, Seddon Park, Hamilton
- WEST INDIES vs PAKISTAN, Mon 21 March 06:30 IST, Seddon Park, Hamilton
- ENGLAND vs PAKISTAN, Thu 24 March 06:30 IST, Hagley Oval, Christchurch
- NEW ZEALAND VS PAKISTAN, Sat 26 March 03:30 IST, Hagley Oval, Christchurch
Excerpts for this article taken from ICC Online Media Zone (Courtesy: ICC Business Corporation FZ LLC 2020)