The Pakistan women's national cricket team represents Pakistan in international women's cricket. One of eight teams competing in the ICC Women's Championship (the highest level of international women's cricket), the team is organised by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Pakistan made its One Day International (ODI) debut in early 1997, against New Zealand, and later in the year played in the 1997 World Cup in India. The team's inaugural Test match came against Sri Lanka in April 1998. In its early years, Pakistan was one of the least competitive of the top-level women's teams, and after its inaugural appearance in 1997, did not qualify for another World Cup until the 2009 event in Australia. However, the team has played in all four editions of the Women's World Twenty20 to date, and also participated in the Women's Asia Cup and the Asian Games cricket tournament. Having appeared in the Women's World Cup in 1997, it earned a place in the ICC Women's World Cup 2009 after overcoming stiff opposition in the qualifying event - which was shifted from its home country to South Africa following political unrest. Going into the World Cup it was ranked eighth, and emerged as sixth in the world. The Pakistan women's cricket team is certainly heading in the right direction.
Current team
1. Bismah Maroof
2. Sana Mir (captain
3. Javeria Khan
4. Nida Dar
5. Nahida Khan
6. Marina Iqbal
7. Iram Javed
8. Nain Abidi
9. Asmavia Iqbal
10. Sidra Nawaz
11. Qanita Jalil
12. Sumaiya Siddiqi
13. Rabiya Shah
14. Sidra Ameen
15. Sania Khan
16. Aliya Riaz
17. Anam Amin
18. Naila Nazir
19. Muneeba Ali
20. Sadia Yousuf
21. Aiman Anwar
22. Diana Baig
23. Kainat Imtiaz
24. Maham Tariq
25. Ayesha Zafar
Pakistan | |
Association | Pakistan Cricket Board |
ICC status | Full member (1952) |
ICC region | Asia |
Coach | Mohtashim Rasheed |
Captain | Sana Mir |
First Test | |
First ODI | |
First T20I | |
World Cup | |
Appearances | 3 (first in 1997) |
Best result | 6th (2009) |
World Cup Qualifier | |
Appearances | 3 (first in 2003) |
Best result | Runner-up (2008, 2011) |
World Twenty20 | |
Appearances | 4 (first in 2009) |
Best result | First round (2009, 2010, 2012,2014) |
World Twenty20 Qualifier | |
Appearances | 1 (first in 2013) |
Best result | Champion (2013) |
as of 25 November 2015 | |
Since the establishment of Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) Women’s Wing in 2005, the game of cricket among women has improved in leaps and bounds and as a result of PCB’s full and all-out support for the establishment and promotion of women’s cricket, Pakistan women’s team has made great progress at the international level. Pakistan Cricket Board has been looking after the welfare of women cricketers since its establishment by providing them with all facilities.
PCB has extended its full support toward the development of women’s cricket in Pakistan. During the last nine years, the standards have improived and now the game is recognised at par with men’s level.
History
1990s
The concept of Women's cricket was first introduced in Pakistan by sisters Shaiza and Sharmeen Khan in 1996. They were subsequently met with court cases and even death threats. The government refused them permission to play India in 1997 and ruled that women were forbidden from playing sports in public due to the religious issues. However, Pakistan first appeared in women's cricket in 1997 and playing against New Zealand andAustralia. They lost all three One Day International matches on that tour, but they were still invited to take part in the Women's Cricket World Cup later that year in India. They lost all five matches in the tournament and finished last, out of the eleven teams in the competition. The following year, Pakistan toured Sri Lanka and played three One Day International matches, losing all of their matches and played in their first Test match, which they also lost.
2000s
In 2000, Pakistan toured Ireland for a five match One Day International series against Ireland. They lost the Test match by an innings inside two days and the One Day International series 4–0, with one match interrupted by rain. Their first international win, in their 19th match, came against the Netherlands in a seven match One Day International series at their home ground in 2001, a series which they won 4–3. This form did not continue into their six One Day International tour of Sri Lanka in January 2002 though and they again lost all six matches.
In 2003, Pakistan travelled to the Netherlands to take part in the 2003 IWCC Trophy, the inaugural edition of what is now called simply theWorld Cup Qualifier. They finished fourth in the tournament, their victories were against Japan and Scotland, however they were missing out on qualification for the 2005 World Cup. This tournament was marred by a schism between the Pakistan Women's Cricket Control Association and the Pakistan Cricket Board. The IWCC did not recognise the Pakistan Cricket Board as the governing body of women's cricket in Pakistan and court cases were brought in Pakistan. The Pakistan Cricket Board announced that they would not be sending a team to the tournament and that no other team should be allowed to represent the country in the competition. This problem has since been overcome with the International Cricket Council requirement that women's associations and men's associations are unified under one single governing body.
2004 saw the West Indies tour Pakistan, playing seven One Day International matches and a Test match. The Test match was drawn and West Indies won the One Day International series 5–2, but those two victories for Pakistan were their first against a Test playing nation. In 2005, Pakistan Cricket Board established a Women's Wing to oversee all Cricket Affairs under the Pakistan Cricket Board's control and to unite all the conflicts between various associations. The first international event was when Indian Under 21 team toured Pakistan, becoming the first Indian women's side to tour the country. This paved the way for Pakistan to host the second Women's Asia Cup in December 2005/January 2006. They lost all their games however, finishing last in the three team tournament. The tournament featured the first match between the Indian and Pakistani women's cricket teams. Early in 2007, the Pakistan squad toured South Africa and played in a five match, One Day International series. During that year, Pakistan was awarded to Host the ICC Women's World Cup Qualifiers in which eight teams were scheduled to participate. All of the arrangements were almost completed when unfortunately the event was postponed due to political instability and was moved to South Africa. The Pakistan Women Team qualified for the ICC Women World Cup by defeating Ireland, Zimbabwe, Scotland and Netherlands. They qualified for this tournament after defeating the Hong Kongteam in a three match series in Pakistan in September 2006.
In Pakistan, views towards Women' cricket have softened considerably since its introduction. Cricket is currently seen as an improvement for women's rights; although female players have to follow a professional rule and behave in an appropriate manner in public.
World Cup records
Pakistan have participated in three editions of the Women's Cricket World Cup: 1997 Women's Cricket World Cup, 2009 Women's Cricket World Cup and 2013 Women's Cricket World Cup. The team did not win any of their matches during the 1997 Cricket World Cup and finished at eleventh place. Pakistan saw their first win in the 2009 World Cup; they advanced to the Super Six round defeating Sri Lanka in group stage match by 57 runs with Nain Abidi scoring 26 runs, and the woman of the match Qanita Jalil taking 3 wickets for 33. They qualified for the 5th place playoff match defeating West Indies in the Super Sixes by 4 wickets, but finished at 6th place losing to the same team by 3 wickets. They were without any victory in the 2013 World Cup.
Women's T20I World Cup
Pakistan have participated in all the editions of the ICC Women's World Twenty20. They lost all of their games in 2009 ICC Women's World Twenty20 and 2010 ICC Women's World Twenty20. In the 2012 edition, they registered their solitary win over India. Pakistan defeated them by 1 run with Sana Mir scoring 26 runs and Nida Dar—who was awarded woman of the match—taking 3 wickets for 13 runs. Pakistan finished with 7th place playoff in the 2014 ICC Women's World Twenty20; they defeated Sri Lanka by 14 runs in the playoffs. Bismah Maroof scored 62 runs not out and Sania Khan took 3 wickets for 24 runs. Maroof was awarded woman of the match.
Asia Cup
The Pakistan women's cricket team did not participate in the inaugural edition of the women's Asia cup in 2004–05, Sri Lanka and India played a five-match series in Sri Lanka. Pakistan hosted the second edition of the Asia Cup in 2005–06, but they did not win a single game of the tournament. India won the final by 97 runs, against Sri Lanka, played at the National Stadium, Karachi. In the third edition of the women's Asia Cup, once again Pakistan failed to see a victory, and this was the third consecutive occasion that India and Sri Lanka were playing in the final. In the 2008 edition of the Women's Asia Cup, Pakistan registered their only victory against the Bangladeshi women's cricket team who were participating for the first time in Asia Cup. The 2012 edition was a Twenty20 version of the game that took place in Guangzhou, China from 24 to 31 October 2012. Pakistan reached into the final of the tournament, and lost to India by 18 runs. Bismah Maroof was awarded woman of the tournament for her all-round performance.
Asian Games
Asian Games 2010
The Pakistan national women's cricket team won a gold medal in the inaugural women's cricket tournament in the 2010 Asian Games that took place in Guangzhou, China. In the final match at the 2010 Asian games, Pakistan defeated Bangladesh women cricket team by 10 wickets. Bangladeshi women made 92 runs for 9 wickets with their captain Salma Khatun scoring 24; Nida Dar took 3 wickets giving away 16 runs in 4 overs. Pakistan women achieved the target of 93 runs in 15.4 overs without losing wickets: Dar scored 51 from 43 balls andJaveria Khan scored 39 runs from 51 balls, both remained not out. Asif Ali Zardari, the then-president of Pakistan, termed the team's win as a "gift to the nation riding on a series of crises" as 21 million people were affected by flood in 2010.
Asian Games 2014
In the 2014 Asian games, Pakistan women's cricket team defeated again Bangladesh women cricket team in the final match by four runs inIncheon, South Korea. In the low scoring match, Pakistan women scored 97 runs in 20 for 6 wickets. The match was interrupted by rain. Bangladesh women innings reduced to 7 overs and their revised target was 43 runs per Duckworth–Lewis method; they scored 38 runs for 9 wickets. This was the second consecutive title won by the Pakistan women against the same team in Asian Games.
Achievements
Test cricket
As of 2014, Pakistan women's highest score in an innings is 426 runs for 7 wickets declared against the West Indies, on 15 March 2004 at the National Stadium in Karachi in Pakistan. Shaiza Khan is the only captain of Pakistan women's team. She has captained the side in three Test matches. Kiran Baluch's score of 242, made against the West Indies in March 2004, is the highest total by any batsman in Women's Test cricket. Khan's 13 wickets for 226 runs in a match, is the best performance by any bowler in the history of women Test cricket. She has the best bowling figures in an innings for Pakistan women, 7 wickets for 59 runs.
One Day International
As of 2014, Pakistan women's highest team total in a match is 258 runs for 5 wickets against the Netherlands, in October 2010, South Africa. Highest batting score of 69 runs was made by Mahewish Khan against the Netherlands, on 14 April 2001 at the National Stadium inKarachi in Pakistan. Best bowling figures among Pakistani women: 7 wickets for 4 runs, Sajjida Shah against Japan, on 21 July 2003 in Amsterdam in Netherlands. Pakistan Women's Cricket Control Association, registered under orporate Law and Full Member of the International Women's Cricket Council (IWCC) is an endorsed and only governing body for women's cricket in Pakistan and is already endorsed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
