Uncapped Eyman Fatima named in women’s squad for Ireland series

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), on Wednesday, announced a 15-member squad for the national women’s team for the upcoming tour of Ireland, with uncapped player Eyman Fatima receiving her first call-up.

Fatima Sana will continue to lead the Pakistan women’s team for the Ireland series, which will be played at Clontarf Cricket Club in Dublin from 6 to 10 August.

22-year-old Eyman Fatima is the only uncapped player in the squad. She has been selected after scoring 287 runs from eight matches at a strike rate of 155.14 in the National Women’s T20 Tournament held in Karachi in May this year.

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The right-handed batter also represented Pakistan in the inaugural ICC Women’s U19 World Cup in 2023.

The squad has been selected from among the 24 players taking part in the Women’s Skills camp, which will conclude on 27 July in Karachi.

At the conclusion of the Skills camp, the 15-member squad will undergo a pre-series camp in Karachi before departing for Ireland to take part in the bilateral series.

Pakistan women’s squad  for Ireland tour

Fatima Sana (captain), Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Eyman Fatima, Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali, Najiha Alvi (wicket-keeper), Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Rameen Shamim, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Tuba Hassan, and Waheeda Akhtar

Non-traveling reserves: Neha Sharmin, Omaima Sohail, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Sidra Nawaz, and Syeda Aroob Shah

Player support personnel: Hina Munawar (manager), Muhammad Wasim (head coach), Junaid Khan (assistant coach bowling), Abdul Saad (assistant coach fielding), Waleed Ahmed (analyst), and Tehreem Sumbal (physiotherapist)

Series schedule:

  • 6 Aug – First T20I at Clontarf Cricket Club, Dublin
  • 8 Aug – Second T20I at Clontarf Cricket Club, Dublin
  • 10 Aug – Third T20I at Clontarf Cricket Club, Dublin

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Muneeba, Sandhu propel Pakistan to thump Ireland

CAPE TOWN: Pakistan’s left-handed opener Muneeba Ali struck the first-ever century for the nation in Women’s T20Is before Nashra Sandhu led the green shirts to a thumping 70-run victory over Ireland in ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

Set to chase a mammoth 166, the Irish batting lineup failed completely against a strong Pakistan bowling attack and bundled out for a meagre 95 runs in the 17th over.

Top-order batter Orla Prendergast offered a brief fightback with her 31-run knock in just 21 deliveries and top-scored for her side, followed by Eimar Richardson, who could score 28.

Besides them, the rest of the Irish batters seemed clueless against Pakistan’s bowling attack, led by Sandhu, who picked up four wickets for just 18 runs.

Sadia Iqbal and Nida Dar bagged two wickets each for Pakistan, while Fatima Sana could take one.

Put into bat first, Pakistan accumulated 165/5 in their allotted 20 overs at the back of a brilliant century by Muneeba.

Muneeba carried her bat till 19 overs and top-scored for the side with 102 off just 68 deliveries, laced with 14 boundaries.

The left-handed batter stitched a magnificent 101-run partnership with all-rounder Nida Dar, who scored 33 off 28 deliveries with the help of two boundaries and a six before perishing in the final over.

Following their dismissal, Aliya Riaz (3*) and Ayesha Naseem (6) powered Pakistan to finish strongly at 165/5 with the latter falling on the final delivery.

Arlene Kelly led the bowling attack for Ireland with 2/27 while Leah Paul and Laura Delany made one scalp each.

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Ireland beat Pakistan in third T20I to seal historic series 2-1

LAHORE: Ireland women’s cricket team outclassed Pakistan by 34 runs in the third T20I to claim a historic series victory by 2-1 at the Gaddafi Stadium here on Wednesday.

The series triumph over Pakistan marked the Irish team’s first away series victory and also the first for any Irish side in Asia.

Ireland, after opting to bat first, managed to accumulate 167/4 in their quota of 20 overs, courtesy of a magnificent half-century from their opening batter Gaby Lewis.

The Irish top-order laid a solid foundation for a decent total with Lewis leading the way with an astonishing 71-run knock in just 46 deliveries, laced with 11 boundaries and a six.

Another Irish opener Amy Hunter scored 40 off 35 deliveries and helped Lewis in stitching the 110-run opening stand that put the Irish women in command.

Meanwhile, Ireland’s No.3 Orla Prendergast also chipped in with a quick 37 off just 23 balls with the help of three boundaries and a six.

Nida Dar, Nashra Sandhu and Ghulam Fatima could only manage to pick a wicket each for Pakistan.

Set to chase 168, Pakistan’s batting lineup failed and could only amass 133 before bundling out in the 19th over.

Experienced batter Javeria Khan notched up a magnificent half-century in the run chase; scoring 50 in 37 balls, laced with seven boundaries.

The right-handed batter, however, received no support from the other end as Pakistan kept losing wickets at regular intervals before bundling out in the 19th over.

Besides Javeria, Dar (26) was the other notable run scorer, followed by Fatima Sana (14). Whereas seven of the Pakistan batters failed to amass double figures.

Arlene Kelly and Laura Delany bagged three wickets each for Ireland, while Jane Maguire claimed two.

Following consistent performances throughout the series, Ireland’s Lewis bagged the Player of the Series award. She finished as the top-scorer of the series with 144 runs.

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Dar shines as Pakistan Women defeat Ireland to level T20 series

LAHORE: Nida Dar starred with a brilliant all-round performance to help Pakistan women’s team beat Ireland by six wickets in the second Twenty20 international to level the three-match series by 1-1, here at Gaddafi Stadium on Monday.

Middle-order batter Ayesha Naseem smashed a quickfire 25 not-out off 12, hitting two sixes and four to take the Green Shirts home while chasing 119 in a rain-reduced 17 overs per side game.

The Player of the match, Dar,  grabbed two wickets before she went on to score 25-ball 28 to steer his side to a commanding position in the game.

Opener Javeria Khan, however, top-scored for the side with a cautious knock of 35 off 39 while she stitched an anchoring 46-run partnership with Dar for the third wicket to frustrate the Irish bowlers.

Earlier, Pakistan bowled superbly in the first innings after they opted to field first, reducing the visitors to 118/7 in the allotted 17 overs.

Nashra Sandhu and Nida Dar stormed through the middle order, with each bagging two wickets and stuck Ireland to a low total despite a flourishing start.

For Ireland, opener Amy Hunter remained the top-scorer with her skilful knock of 36 off 39 while no 3 batter Orla Prendergast contributed 20 off 17. Rebecca Stokell, however, played a late cameo scoring 17 off 12 laced with two boundaries. 

It is pertinent to mention here that the two teams will face each in the T20I series decider and last fixture of the Ireland Women’s tour of Pakistan on Wednesday (November 16) at the same venue.

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Sidra, Muneeba topple various records for Pakistan in Women’s ODIs

LAHORE: Pakistan opening batters Sidra Ameen and Muneeba Ali tumbled numerous records with their respective centuries against Ireland in the first Women’s ODI of the three-match series.

Sidra and Muneeba charged on the Irish bowling attack and took them for plenty in their first wicket stand that added an astounding 221 runs to the team’s total.

The duo’s magnificent 221-run partnership is the highest by Pakistan for any wicket in Women’s ODIs, whereas, stands at the 16th spot overall in the international circuit.

Specifically, for the first wicket, the astounding partnership between Sidra and Muneeba is now the sixth-highest partnership in ODIs.

Following a solid foundation laid by the astonishing opening partnership, Pakistan managed to amass a mammoth 335/3 in their quota of 50 overs.

The total, posted by Pakistan against Ireland is now the team’s highest in WODIs and also the highest total in Pakistan by any team.

Pakistan’s star with the bat, Sidra, who played a marathon knock of 176* in just 151 balls, registered herself in the records book as she became the batter to score the highest individual score for Pakistan in WODIs.

Her 176-run knock is also the fifth-highest individual score in WODIs history. New Zealand’s batter Amelia Kerr tops the list with an unbeaten 232 against the same opposition in 2018, while India’s Deepti Sharma holds the third spot with 188-run against Ireland as well.

 

It is pertinent to mention that Ireland are currently in pursuit of a mammoth 336-run target set by Pakistan and have scored 48/3 in 14 Overs.

READ: Sidra, Muneeba power Pakistan to post mammoth 335/3 against Ireland

Sidra, Muneeba power Pakistan to a thumping victory over Ireland

LAHORE: Pakistan openers Sidra Ameen and Muneeba Ali wreaked havoc over the Ireland’s bowlers before bowlers powered the hosts to a resounding 128-run victory in the first Women’s ODI of the three-match series.

Set to chase 336, the Irish batting lineup crumbled completely and bundled out for a skimpy 207 in the final over.

Irish captain Laura Delaney fought hard with a gritty knock of 69 in a run chase that was dominated by the Pakistan bowlers.

Besides Delaney, Orla Prendergast chipped in with a notable contribution of 29 runs, while the rest of the batters seemed clueless against the strong Pakistan bowling attack.

All-rounder Nida Dar led the bowling attack with magnificent figures of 3/34, while Fatima Sana and Nashra Sandhu bagged two wickets each.

After opting to bat first, Pakistan’s openers lived up to their captain’s call and laid a solid foundation for a massive total against Ireland women.

The duo were unstoppable today as both openers had amassed their respective centuries to add 221-run for the first wicket.

Muneeba, who was scoring relatively cautiously, fell in the 36th over after scoring 107 off 114 deliveries with the help of 10 boundaries and two sixes.

Following Muneeba’s departure, Sidra then joined hands with all-rounder Aliya Riaz and stitched another astonishing partnership as the pair added 97 runs for the second wicket in just 61 deliveries.

The second-wicket partnership between Sidra and Aliya paced up Pakistan’s march to a massive total.

Pakistan’s star with the bat, Sidra, was the core aggressor of the second-wicket partnership, while Aliya, who was finding it hard to match up her blistering hitting fell in the 47th over after scoring 29 off 27.

Sidra, on the other hand, held her ground firm and kept the scoreboard ticking single-handedly to power Pakistan to 335/3 in their quota of 50 overs.

Right-handed batter Sidra played an astounding knock of 176 runs in just 151 deliveries, laced with 20 boundaries and a six.

Arlene Kelly was the pick of the bowlers for Ireland women as she bagged two wickets for 62, while Eimar Richardson made one scalp.

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PCB unveils commentary panel for Pakistan-Ireland women series

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has unveiled the commentary and presenter panel for the upcoming women’s series between Pakistan and Ireland, former captain Sana Mir included.

In a press release, PCB revealed that former Irish cricketer and renowned commentator Andrew Leonard will also be commentating in the upcoming series.

Former captain Sana will only commentate amid the WT20I series, scheduled for 12, 14 and 16 November.

Marina Iqbal, Ali Younis, Andrew Leonard, Sikander Bakht and Shah Faisal, on the other hand, will commentate through the tour from November 4 to 16.

Ireland Women’s cricket team’s tour to Pakistan also includes a three-match ODI series, scheduled from November 4 to 9. The series is a part of the ICC Women’s Championship.

Gaddafi Stadium will host all six tour matches, while entry for spectators to the stadium will be free and four enclosures namely Fazal Mahmood, Imran Khan, Rajas and Saeed Anwar will be open for fans.

Series Schedule

4 November – First ODI
6 November – Second ODI
9 November – Third ODI
12 November – First T20I
14 November – Second T20I
16 November – Third T20I

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