In a major relief for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which is trying its best to bring international cricket back in the country, the West Indies women’s cricket team will be touring Pakistan in November to play three One Day Internationals (ODIs) against the home side.
The three ODIs will be held on November 8, 11 and 14 November after which both the sides will head to Zimbabwe to participate in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier, which will be held between November 21 and December 5.
The top three tams of the 10 participating sides will then secure a qualification for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022, which will be played in New Zealand.
Confirming the development, PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja said that the board was delighted to announce the West Indies women’s tour to Pakistan in November.
In a statement, the PCB Chairman said: “We are delighted to announce the West Indies women’s tour to Pakistan in November. This will be a great series for the promotion, publicity and growth of women’s cricket in Pakistan, besides also providing both sides excellent opportunity to prepare for the World Cup qualifier.”
“West Indies women’s tour will be followed by their men’s side who will visit Pakistan for three ODIs and three T20Is in December. So, the Pakistan cricket fans can brace for some exciting and entertaining cricket in women’s and men’s cricket later this year,” he added.
Meanwhile, the national women’s selection committee – which includes Urooj Mumtaz (the chair) and Asmavia Iqbal – has also announced an 18-member squad for the upcoming three ODIs against West Indies and the World Cup Qualifier which will be led by batter Javeria Khan.
“The national women’s team’s camp for the series will begin from 23 October and will run till 5 November at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre, Karachi. At the conclusion of the camp, the team will shift to the team hotel,” the PCB said in a statement.
“As part of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s efforts to increase the reach and viewership of the women’s sport, the three ODIs – which will start at 1000 – will be live-streamed through PCB’s YouTube channel around the world,” it added.
Significantly, the upcoming series will be the Pakistan women’s team’s third bilateral series in the ongoing year as they had already toured South Africa in January-February and West Indies in June-July earlier this year.
West Indies series itinerary
Nov 1: West Indies women arrival
Nov 4-7: Both teams’ training and practice sessions, National Stadium
Nov 8: First ODI, National Stadium
Nov 11: Second ODI, National Stadium
Nov 14: Third ODI, National Stadium
Nov 16: Departure for Zimbabwe
Pakistan Women Squad for West Indies series World Cup Qualifier:
Javeria Khan (Captain), Aiman Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Ayesha Zafar, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Iram Javed, Kainat Imtiaz, Maham Tariq, Muneeba Ali, Nashra Sundhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Rameen Shamim, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin and Sidra Nawaz (wicketkeeper)
Support staff: Fizza Abid (team manager), David Hemp (head coach), Arshad Khan (assistant coach), Kamran Hussain (assistant coach), Saboor Ahmad (strength and condition coach), Zubair Ahmad (analyst), Dr Riffat Asghar Gill (head physiotherapist) and Rabia Siddiq (physiotherapist)