Sylhet (Bangladesh): Captain Bismah Maroof is eyeing momentum apart from showcasing their talent, skill and temperament in the shortest format of the game.as Pakistan open their Women’s Asia Cup campaign against Malaysia at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium (SICS) on Sunday.
After undergoing a 10-day camp at the Lahore Country Club, Muridke and three days of intense practice and preparations in Sylhet, Bangladesh, Pakistan will be aiming to improve on the third spot they achieved in the last edition of the Women’s Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2018-19.
Pakistan will then take on defending champions and hosts Bangladesh on October 3, followed by a match against Thailand on October 6 before facing off against arch-rivals India on October 7.
“The conditions here are the same as at home, the pitches will help the spinners. We will try to make full use of the conditions and get our momentum going and start on a winning note.”
“The tournament’s format gives us a number of matches, providing us a great help to prepare for next year’s ICC Women’s (T20) World Cup. We are not going to take any team lightly and try to execute ourselves well to win ‘omorrow’s match,” said Bismah on the official website of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
Right-handed batter Sidra Amin is included in the side as an opener in place of out-of-form Iram Javed. Commenting on her inclusion in the side and pairing up with Muneeba Ali, Bismah said, “We have tried a new pair in the opening position, I hope Sidra performs, her runs at the top will give stability to the batting order which can contribute in the team’s win.”
The seven-team tournament follows a round-robin format where each team will play the other once before the top four sides qualify for the semifinals. The final of the tournament will be played on October 15.
Pakistan squad: Bismah Maroof (c), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Naseem, Diana Baig, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali (wk), Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Nashra Sundhu, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz (wk) and Tuba Hasan
Reserve players: Natalia Pervaiz, Umme Hani and Waheeda Akhtar
–IANS
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