The Pakistan Cricket Board has announced the national women’s squads for the forthcoming tour of South Africa, handing maiden T20I call-ups to uncapped batter Saira Jabeen and right-arm fast bowler Humna Bilal as the team builds towards the ICC Women’s T20I World Cup.
According to PCB information today, Fatima Sana will continue to lead the side in both the One-Day International and T20 International formats. A core group of ten players has been selected for both rosters, including Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Zafar, Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali, Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Rameen Shamim, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, and Tasmia Rubab.
In a significant update to the 15-member ODI side, opening batters Ayesha Zafar and Gull Feroza, left-arm pacer Tasmia Rubab, and wicketkeeper-batter Najiha Alvi have earned recalls after missing out on the ODI World Cup selection.
The selection strategy highlights format-specific roles. Diana Baig, Najiha Alvi, Sadaf Shamas, and Syeda Aroob Shah are included exclusively for the 50-over matches. Conversely, newcomers Humna Bilal and Saira Jabeen, along with Tuba Hassan and Eyman Fatima, are part of the T20I setup only.
The team”s preparations will begin with a pre-series training camp from Sunday, 1 January, at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre in Karachi.
Mentor Wahab Riaz will oversee the squad during the tour, assisted by a coaching panel that includes Imran Farhat (batting), Umaid Asif (fast bowling), Abdur Rehman (spin), and Abdul Majeed (fielding).
The tour commences on 10 February with the first of three day-night T20Is. The 50-over leg of the tour begins with a warm-up match on 19 February, followed by three ODIs from 22 February to 1 March, held in Bloemfontein, Centurion, and Durban.
This tour marks the Pakistan Women’s team’s return to South Africa for a bilateral series for the first time since January 2021.
T20I Squad: Fatima Sana (captain), Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Zafar, Eyman Fatima, Gull Feroza (wicket-keeper), Humna Bilal, Muneeba Ali (wicket-keeper), Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Rameen Shamim, Sadia Iqbal, Saira Jabeen, Sidra Amin, Tasmia Rubab, and Tuba Hassan.
ODI Squad: Fatima Sana (captain), Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Zafar, Diana Baig, Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali (wicket-keeper), Najiha Alvi (wicket-keeper), Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Rameen Shamim, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah, and Tasmia Rubab.