Photo Credit: Pakistan Cricket Board
Three teams, boasting the best women cricketers, will compete for glory from Tuesday in the one-day phase of the Pakistan Cup Women’s Cricket Tournament. The seven-match-long tournament will be played at the State Bank Ground in Karachi. The final will be held on 4 June and will be live-streamed on the Pakistan Cricket Board’s official YouTube channel.
The winning side will pocket PKR1million with the silverware and the runners-up will get PKR500,000. To incentivise and reward the players for impactful performances each player of the match will earn PKR20,000 and the player of the tournament will get PKR50,000.
The tournament will open with Blasters facing Dynamites. Challengers will play their first match on 25 May when they play Blasters. The tournament will be played on double round robin basis and the two teams finishing on top after the 2 June match will play the final.
Muneeba Ali, the captain of Blasters, who remained winless in the three T20s, said: “This is a new format and provides a fresh start for us. I am hopeful that every player in the side will take responsibility and perform according to the expectations. It is important that we learn from the mistakes that we made in the T20 phase and do better.”
Omaima Sohail, the captain of Challengers, who won a match in T20 phase, said: “Our bowlers are in form and the top-order batters have scored runs. We are team that has a solid combination with experienced senior players and talented youngsters. I am hopeful that we will click as a unit and win.”
Sidra Amin, skipper of Dynamites, who won two matches in the first phase, said: “The players have been responding well to the demands of the team and I am confident about our chances in this tournament. The results can go any way in cricket, so it is important to remain focused and grab opportunities with both hands. The senior players in the side have stepped up and done well.”
The three teams have been rejigged after the T20 phase of the Pakistan Cup Women’s Cricket Tournament, to strike the right balance in each side and improve the quality of competition.
Squads
Blasters – Muneeba Ali (c), Aleena Shah, Anam Amin, Ayesha Bilal, Ayesha Javed, Ayesha Zafar, Diana Baig, Dua Majid, Irum Javed, Kainat Imtiaz, Saba Nazir, Saiqa Riaz, Shabnam Hayat (wk), Zaib-un-Nissa and Zunaira Shah
Challengers – Omaima Sohail (c), Amber Kainaat, Areesha Noor, Fareeha Mehmood (wk), Fatima Zehra, Huraina Sajjad, Javeria Khan, Javeria Rauf, Kainat Hafeez, Maham Tariq, Masooma Zehra, Noreen Yaqoob, Sadia Iqbal, Saima Malik and Warda Yousaf
Dynamites – Sidra Amin (c), Aima Saleem, Aliya Riaz, Bismah Maroof, Fajar Naveed, Fatima Shahid, Ghulam Fatima, Humna Bilal, Khadija Chishti, Laiba Nasir, Maham Manzoor, Nashra Sundhu, Rameen Shamim, Sidra Nawaz (wk) and Waheeda Akhtar
Schedule
23 May – Blasters vs Dynamites, State Bank Ground
25 May –Blasters vs Challengers, State Bank Ground
27 May –Dynamites vs Challengers, State Bank Ground
29 May – Dynamites vs Blasters, State Bank Ground
31 May – Challengers vs Blasters, State Bank Ground
2 June – Challengers vs Dynamites, State Bank Ground
4 June – Final, State Bank Ground
