[PICTURES] Fatima Sana: Pakistan women's cricket team captain and all-rounder

[FearlessRoar]

At 22, Fatima Sana has risen to captain Pakistan's women's cricket team, defying odds and breaking barriers. Her cricket journey started on Karachi's streets, where she honed her skills playing tape-ball cricket with her brothers. Her eldest brother, Shehroz, encouraged her to pursue cricket, registering her at a local academy.

Sana's impressive performances earned her a spot in Pakistan's under-21 team at 13 and senior domestic cricket at 15. Her breakthrough came in 2019 when she was selected for a domestic T20 championship, taking seven wickets in seven matches. This success led to her debut in Pakistan's national team and recognition from the International Cricket Council (ICC). She became the first Pakistani woman to win the ICC Women's Emerging Cricketer of the Year award.

Despite Pakistan's limited women's cricket infrastructure, Sana remains optimistic. She credits international exposure for her growth and aims to lead her team to success in the T20 World Cup. Sana's mantra is "attacking cricket, handling pressure, and staying calm." She draws inspiration from mentors Sana Mir, Heather Knight, and MS Dhoni.

As captain, Sana seeks to change Pakistan's fortunes. With her all-round skills and bold leadership, she's determined to make teams wary of facing Pakistan. Pakistan's coach, Muhammad Wasim, believes Sana "ticks all the boxes as a captain," understanding the game well and commanding respect from the team.

However, leading her team in an international tournament poses a different challenge. Pakistan has historically struggled in the T20 World Cup, never progressing past the group stage. But Sana remains undeterred, focused on living in the present and giving her best.

Sana's rise to captaincy is a testament to her hard work and dedication. From Karachi's streets to the international stage, she's breaking barriers for women's cricket in Pakistan. With her leadership, Pakistan may finally shake off its unenviable record and make a mark in the T20 World Cup.

 

[FearlessRoar]

From 84/8 to 116 all out, Fatima Sana staged a remarkable recovery for Pakistan against Sri Lanka in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024

 

[sweep_shot]

From 84/8 to 116 all out, Fatima Sana staged a remarkable recovery for Pakistan against Sri Lanka in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024

She did well with the bat.

Strike-rate of 150.

 

[Rana]

She got rid of SL’s big batter out too. Massive impact in this match

 

[RyanRyan10]

She got rid of SL’s big batter out too. Massive impact in this match

30 (20) With thr bat

Captain leading from the front

 

[Cricket Warrior]

For her match winning performance against Sri Lanka, where she scored 30 off 20 and picked up 2 wickets, Fatima Sana was awarded the Player of the Match award.

 

[shamaan]

Brilliant performance from Sana.

 

[Deewana Mastana]

Perhaps the only one in the team with a 110+ SR. 113 isn't great either but for a Pak female player it is an achievement.

She needs to bat a bit higher as No.7 is a bit low for her. 5-6 should be a good slot for her to bat deep and take the score higher and quicker.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

She played a great knock today and led from the front as captain.

 

[FearlessRoar]

For her match winning performance against Sri Lanka, where she scored 30 off 20 and picked up 2 wickets, Fatima Sana was awarded the Player of the Match award.

When Fatima Sana was named Pakistan's captain for the Women's T20 World Cup 2024, many questioned the decision. However, the 22-year-old has silenced her critics with a stellar performance against Sri Lanka.

Fatima led from the front, scoring 30 runs off 20 balls and taking two crucial wickets to help Pakistan win by 31 runs. Her fearless approach on a challenging pitch and leadership skills have impressed many.

At 22 years and 330 days, Fatima became the third-youngest captain in a T20 World Cup match. She has already shown signs of a promising all-rounder, with 41 ODIs and 44 T20Is under her belt since her debut in 2019.

Fatima's ambition is to become the fastest bowler in international cricket, surpassing Shabnim Ismail's record. With her speed and skill, she has the potential to become one of the best all-rounders globally.

Pakistan Cricket Board's support will be crucial in nurturing Fatima's talent. If she maintains her fitness, energy, and consistency, Pakistan may produce a world-class cricketer.

 

[Muhammad Saad]

She bowls around 95k to 105k and his main wicket taking delivery is a slow knuckle ball which deviates off the surface in any direction.

Fastest bowler in the world??? Shabnam clocked 132k

 

[deltexas]

Good to see pak womens team performing good. Good fightback and recovery and beating a strong SL team . The SL womens team has been very good recently and had beaten Ind in the Asia Cup SF. Still, Eng and SA are absolute faves from Pak's group to qualify for SF.s. If pak and sl can cause a few upsets in this group, it will be great viewing

 

[stani_pak]

Good to see pak womens team performing good. Good fightback and recovery and beating a strong SL team . The SL womens team has been very good recently and had beaten Ind in the Asia Cup SF. Still, Eng and SA are absolute faves from Pak's group to qualify for SF.s. If pak and sl can cause a few upsets in this group, it will be great viewing

Pakistan has new zealand, australia in there group not england or south africa but that being said new zealand and australia are favorties to qualify for semi finals

 

[FearlessRoar]

Fatima Sana commits to attacking cricket as India hope for reboot

Fatima Sana vows to keep attacking as Pakistan take on arch-rivals India in the Women's T20 World Cup 2024.

A day ahead of the iconic clash between India and Pakistan at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024, skipper Fatima Sana was riding high on confidence and sticking by the attacking brand of cricket the team has adopted.

"I have been watching that whichever team we played against - played attacking cricket," Sana said ahead of the marquee contest.

"As a bowler, I used to feel that whoever used to bowl against us, used to make to hit us from the first ball. I wanted our team to have batters who can punish the bowler from the first ball. We have worked a lot on this and you will see the result soon hopefully."

Sana walked in at No.7 in the opening game against Sri Lanka, smashing a 20-ball 30 to give Pakistan's total a final push.

The knock proved to be decisive as Pakistan trumped their Asian counterparts with Sana becoming the second-youngest captain after Meg Lanning to win a Women's T20 World Cup match.

The skipper elaborated on her ambitions as an all-rounder and hailed the influence of the power-hitting coach, that has overseen Pakistan's new approach to batting in T20s.

"I always wanted to be the number one all-rounder, because obviously bowling is a team sport but the team wins when you are good at it all, even when you are good in fielding," Sana said.

"So that's why I was trying to prove myself always in helping the team win. So, I think that was the only challenge for me. That I should take my batting along. Our power-hitting coach has helped a lot of girls. I think all the credit goes to him because he has given us the belief that you can become an all-rounder."

"If you look at the last series of South Africa, a lot of our girls have improved in power-hitting.

"I think the girls believe that even if the fielders are standing behind, if they hit, they can go for six. It's a good thing that all the girls are confident in this. Personally, I used to bat a lot before, but I didn't know if I could hit or not. But with that belief now it's become a lot easier."

Meanwhile, in the other camp, India are hoping for a fresh start after a loss to new Zealand in their opening game. Although the turnaround time is quick, bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi brushed aside any concerns.

"I mean, when we prepare for a campaign like a World Cup, so there will be back-to-back games, so every team will be having their own strengths, they will be having their own weaknesses," Salvi said in the press conference.

"So as a bowling unit, as a batting unit and as a fielding unit, we tend to have our own plans to go out there and execute."

Although the bowling unit was not at its best in the previous game against the White Ferns, Salvi dismissed it as a one-off and backed the bowlers to stick to their plans and deliver.

"It's basically just believing in your processes, what has worked for you so far. I mean, what is the sample size of certain things working for you? We just go by it.

"And for the bowling unit, obviously, they need to stay strong, stay united and stay focused on the next challenges that they will face upon.

"At the same time, they should be, I mean, whatever they have been following so far, what's been working well for them, they just go with that. So, it's just one odd game where probably someone might have gone for runs."

With just four games in the Group stage, India will know that another hiccup could be very concerning. India have only lost three of their 15 T20Is to Pakistan with the teams last clashing in the Women's Asia Cup earlier this year when India triumphed by seven wickets.

Fatima Sana commits to attacking cricket as India hope for reboot

Fatima Sana vows to keep attacking as Pakistan take on arch-rivals India in the Women's T20 World Cup 2024.

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