Fatima Sana, Omaima Sohail, and Shawaal Zulfiqar return to the Pakistan women’s team, as the national selection committee led by Saleem Jaffar unveiled a 17-member squad for the upcoming New Zealand tour scheduled for later next month.
The team is slated to participate in three T20Is in Dunedin and Queenstown from 3rd to 9th December, followed by three ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25 ODIs against New Zealand from 12th to 18th December in Queenstown and Christchurch.
Iram Javed, who was part of the 15-member squad for the Bangladesh tour this month, has been excluded from the team. Instead, the experienced Omaima Sohail has been included after an impressive all-round performance for Pakistan A in the recently concluded T20 tri-nation series and bilateral series at home.
Additionally, 18-year-old Shawaal Zulfiqar, who made her international debut against South Africa in September this year, returns to the squad after leading the batting charts in the tri-series with 106 runs, including one half-century.
Furthermore, right-arm fast bowler Fatima Sana, who missed the bilateral series against Bangladesh due to injury, has recuperated and is set to join the squad for the six white-ball matches.
The 17-member squad is set to gather in Karachi on Saturday, 18th November, and will undergo a four-day training camp at the Hanif Mohammad High-Performance Centre in Karachi. The team is scheduled to depart for New Zealand from Karachi via Dubai in the early hours of 24th November.
Chief Selector Saleem Jaffar: “Given the challenges our batters faced in Bangladesh, the selection committee have made strategic changes for the New Zealand tour. Omaima Sohail and Shawaal Zulfiqar's consistent performances for Pakistan A recently have earned them a well-deserved spot in the squad, addressing the concerns we identified in the previous series in our batting department.
“Looking at the conditions in New Zealand, we have also focused on strengthening our fast bowling department. With the return of Fatima Sana, we are hopeful her experience and skill set will be invaluable, particularly in the challenging conditions we expect in New Zealand.”
Pakistan women's squad
Nida Dar (captain), Aliya Riaz, Bismah Maroof, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Ghulam Fatima, Muneeba Ali (wk), Najiha Alvi (wk), Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Sidra Amin, Umm-e-Hani, and Waheeda Akhtar.
Player support personnel: Nahida Khan (manager), Mauhtashim Rashid (interim head coach), Saleem Jaffar (bowling coach), Taufeeq Umar (batting coach), Muhammad Asfand Yar (strength and conditioning coach), Syed Nazir Ahmed (media manager), Rifat Asghar Gill (physiotherapist), and Zubair Ahmed (analyst).
Series schedule:
3 Dec – 1st T20I, Dunedin
5 Dec – 2nd T20I, Dunedin
9 Dec – 3rd T20I, Queenstown
12 Dec – 1st ODI, Queenstown (ICC Women’s Championship)
15 Dec – 2nd ODI, Christchurch (ICC Women’s Championship)
18 Dec – 3rd ODI, Christchurch (ICC Women’s Championship)