LAHORE: Some major changes were made in the management of Pakistan women’s cricket team on Wednesday in the backdrop of their poor show against West Indies and England earlier this year.
The West Indies women thrashed Pakistan 4-1 in a five-match T20 series 4-1 and swept an ODI series 3-0, all games held at Karachi in April-May. Pakistan then suffered a 3-0 T20 series sweep in England and lost a three-match ODI series 2-0 in May.
Former Test batter Mohammad Wasim has been appointed as the head coach in place of interim head coach Mohtashim Rasheed, who was given the charge after Mark Cole of New Zealand had resigned from the said post.
Taufiq Umar, another former Test cricketer, was sacked as batting coach but no fresh appointment was made. Therefore, sources said, Wasim most probably will look after this department too.
Moreover, Abdul Rahman has been named as spin bowling coach in place of bowling coach Saleem Jaffar, the former Test pacer.
Ex-fast bowler Junaid Khan has been given the role of assistant coach, a newly created post.
Moreover, team manager Naheeda Khan has been replaced with Hina Munawar.
Meanwhile, Pakistan women team’s training camp for next month’s ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup started here at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre. The eight-nation event is being staged in Dambulla, Sri Lanka from July 19 to 28.
Twenty-eight cricketers have been invited for the four-day camp by the national selection committee.
The camp will be supervised by Rehman and fielding coach Hanif Malik. In the T20 Asia Cup, Pakistan are placed in Group ‘A’ along with arch-rivals India, Nepal and the UAE.
Players invited to the camp:
Aliya Riaz, Anoosha Nasir, Ayesha Zafar, Diana Baig, Dua Majid, Eyman Fatima, Fatima Sana, Gull Feroza, Humna Bilal, Iram Javed, Maham Manzoor, Muneeba Ali, Najiha Alvi, Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Quratulain, Rameen Shamim, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba Hassan, Yusra Amir, Umm-e-Hani, Waheeda Akhtar
Player support personnel: Hina Munawar (manager), Mohammad Wasim (head coach), Abdur Rehman (spin bowling coach), Junaid Khan (assistant coach), Hanif Malik (fielding coach), Rabia Siddiq (physio), Waleed Ahmed (analyst).
Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2024
