Sports

Nida Dar appointed captain of Pakistan women’s team

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday announced that under the new structure of the women’s cricket team, veteran Pakistan all-rounder Nida Dar was selected as captain, while Mark Coles was reappointed as head coach of the Pakistan women’s team.

Former Test cricketer Saleem Jaffar has been appointed chief selector, PCB confirmed in an announcement made via a press release.

Nida named captain, Coles reappointed coach, Saleem to head selection panel in Pakistan women's cricket shake-up

Read more ➡️ https://t.co/GLN0NPpUet pic.twitter.com/K8Jj6ElGFA
— PCB Media (@TheRealPCBMedia) April 6, 2023

After the approval of PCB Management Committee Chairman Najam Sethi, the names were announced.

“The appointments have been made in light of the PCB’s vision and strategy to invest further into women’s cricket and keeping in mind the upcoming international assignments, including hosting South Africa and tours to Bangladesh and New Zealand for the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25 fixtures,” PCB said in a statement.

Overall, in an 11-month period from August 2023 to July 2024, Pakistan women’s team is scheduled to play five bilateral cricket series comprising a total of 15 ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25 ODIs. In addition to these 50-over matches, Pakistan will play as many as 17 T20Is. These ODIs and T20Is will lead to the 10-team ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh and the eight-team ICC Women’s World Cup in India, which will be held in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

Nida Dar

Nida won the PCB Women’s Cricketer of the Year for 2021 and replaces Bismah Maroof, who stepped down from captaincy following the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 in South Africa. Nida is one of the most experienced players in the country, having represented Pakistan in 130 T20Is and 99 ODIs.

She is also the leading wicket-taker in T20I women’s cricket with 126 wickets to her name.

Nida was also a member of the Pakistan side that won the Asian Games gold in 2010 and 2014 in Guangzhou, China, and Incheon, South Korea. In 2019, she became the first Pakistan women’s cricketer to feature in Australia’s women’s franchise cricket.

In the ICC Women’s Rankings, Nida is presently ranked 32nd, 24th, and ninth in the ODI batters, bowlers, and all-rounders’ categories, respectively. In T20Is, Nida is the 38th-ranked batter, 21st-ranked bowler, and seventh-ranked all-rounder.

Mark Coles

Coles previously served as Pakistan women’s cricket team head coach from 2017 to 2019 and during his time, the side achieved major results, including a fifth finish in the ICC Women’s Championship 2017-2020 that paved the way for the side to feature in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2022.

Also during his time, Sana Mir became the most successful ODI spinner in the world, Javeria Khan and Bismah Maroof were named to lead a multi-nation Women’s Global Development Squad and Nida Dar became the first Pakistan woman player to earn a contract in the WBBL.

Coaching panel

Mark Coles (head coach), Mohtashim Rasheed (fielding coach), Taufeeq Umar (batting coach) and Saleem Jaffar (bowling coach).

Selection committee

Saleem Jaffar (chairman), Asmavia Iqbal, Marina Iqbal and Mohtashim Rasheed (members).

Upcoming bilateral series of Pakistan women’s team

Aug/Sep 2023: South Africa tour to Pakistan (three ODIs & three T20Is)

Oct/Nov 2023: Pakistan tour to Bangladesh (three ODIs & three T20Is)

Nov/Dec 2023: Pakistan tour to New Zealand (three ODIs & three T20Is)

Feb 2024: West Indies tour to Pakistan (three ODIs & five T20Is)

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Jul 2024: Pakistan tour to England (three ODIs & three T20Is)

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Sumair Ahmad is named the 2025 Champions Trophy Director by PCB.

Published

1 day ago

Farwa

PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi commented on the appointment, saying, “Sumair is a highly organized professional with a wealth of administrative expertise.” He will undoubtedly give players, officials, and fans alike an amazing ICC Champions Trophy 2025, especially when combined with his unshakable love for cricket.

He continued, “The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 promises to showcase Pakistan’s ability to host world-class cricketing events, welcoming players and fans from around the globe to experience the country’s renowned hospitality and passion for the game.”

The BCCI informed the ICC earlier this month that it will not be sending a side to the event, which is set for 2025 in Pakistan during the February–March season.

After the PCB asked for clarity in its letter regarding the BCCI’s unwillingness to tour Pakistan, the ICC requested India’s justifications for not inviting Pakistan to compete for the Champions Trophy.

The broadcasters, meanwhile, reportedly pushed the ICC to make the Champions Trophy 2025 schedule available right away.

Due to the Indian government’s refusal to send a delegation to Pakistan for the event, the schedule that was supposed to be issued on November 12 was postponed.

The broadcasting rights, which were given to broadcasters for a record $3 billion until 2027, are heavily dependent on the success of the main events, especially those involving India and Pakistan, which regularly attract the largest audiences.

Latest News

India withdraws from the World Cup of Blind T20 Cricket in Pakistan

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

Adding to the issue surrounding the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the Indian government refused to allow their squad to travel to Pakistan for the Blind Cricket T20 World Cup, which is set to start in Lahore on November 23.

According to Indian media, India, the reigning champion, would not go to Pakistan to play in the Blind T20 World Cup 2024 since the government has not given its approval.

Lahore and Multan are set to host the Blind T20 World Cup 2024 from November 23 to December 3.

The general secretary of the Indian Blind Cricket Association (IBCA), Sailendra Yadav, recently discussed the upsetting news about the blind cricket team’s upcoming trip to Pakistan in an interview with India Today.

The team was given a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) by the Sports Ministry, but the Ministry of External Affairs finally refused to allow them to enter the border, Yadav revealed.

Yadav stated, “We have been waiting for the government to give us permission to travel to Pakistan for the past 25 days.”

“We will not be receiving any authorization to travel to Pakistan, and we can cancel your tournament,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) informed us over the phone.

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Aaqib Javed designated as interim head coach for white-ball formats of Pakistan

Published

3 days ago

Farwa

On Monday, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the hiring of former fast bowler Aaqib Javed as the interim head coach of the Pakistan men’s cricket team till the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Throughout this period, Aaqib will maintain his role as a senior member of the men’s National Selection Committee and will be allocated more responsibilities upon the completion of the eight-team tournament.

The PCB will commence the recruitment process for a permanent white-ball head coach, with the objective of finalising the appointment before the conclusion of the ICC Champions Trophy, which is set to take place from 19 February to 9 March.

The white-ball coaching position became available with Gary Kirsten’s departure last month, prior to the current tour of Australia.

In Kirsten’s absence, red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie led the team during the tour of Australia and will now return for the forthcoming two-Test series in South Africa.

The Pakistan men’s team is set to compete in three ODIs and three T20Is in Zimbabwe from November 24 to December 5, followed by an equal number of white-ball matches in South Africa from December 10 to 22.

Prior to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Pakistan will host New Zealand and South Africa for an ODI triangular series from February 8 to 14.

Aaqib Javed had considerable coaching expertise, having formerly held the position of Pakistan’s bowling coach during their triumphant ICC T20 World Cup campaign in 2009. Earlier this year, he served as the bowling coach for the Sri Lanka men’s squad.

Before that, he managed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in achieving ODI status and qualifying for the ICC World Cup 2015 in Australia during his term as head coach.

Additionally, the right-arm fast bowler served as the coach of Pakistan’s Under-19 squad during their victory in the U19 World Cup in 2004.