Fatima Sana has been named captain of Pakistan’s 15-member women’s squads for the upcoming Asia Cup and Asian Games, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced.
Pakistan will compete in the eight-team Asia Cup in Dubai from Aug 28 to Sept 13 before travelling to Japan for the Asian Games cricket competition.
The national side has been placed in Group A alongside India, Thailand and Hong Kong-China. Pakistan will open its campaign against Thailand on Sept 1, followed by matches against India on Sept 5 and Hong Kong-China on Sept 7. The semi-finals are scheduled for Sept 10 and 11, with the final on Sept 13.
At the Asian Games, Pakistan will face Thailand in the quarter-final on Sept 17 at Korogi Athletic Park in Aichi. The semi-finals will be held on Sept 20, while the bronze-medal and gold-medal matches are scheduled for Sept 22.
Pakistan won gold medals at the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games but finished fourth in the 2022 edition.
Eleven players, including Fatima Sana, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Ayesha Zafar, Gull Feroza, Saira Jabeen, Eyman Fatima, Eman Naseer, Umm-e-Hani, Tuba Hassan and Nashra Sundhu, have been selected for both tournaments.
For the Asia Cup, Najiha Alvi, Waheeda Akhtar and Sadia Iqbal have been included, while Aliya Riaz, Tasmia Rubab and Humna Bilal have been named in the Asian Games squad.
The PCB said the Asian Games squad was submitted in June, with three additional players set to join the team after its departure from the UAE for Japan.
The Pakistan team will hold a training camp at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore from Sunday until Aug 25 ahead of the Asia Cup.
