The Cricketer's in-depth look at the Pakistan squad ahead of the tournament in New Zealand
Coach: Former Bermuda batter David Hemp is at the helm for Pakistan, having previously spent five years working in Australia with Victoria and Melbourne Stars in the Women's Big Bash. He replaced Iqbal Imam in 2020; Imam had been in the role on a temporary basis with the PCB not permanently filling the void left by the departure of Mark Coles in 2019 for family reasons.
Imam was his batting coach, and he only relinquished the position when Hemp took over 15 months ago.
Captain: Bismah Maroof's presence as Pakistan captain is extra significant, with the 30-year-old allrounder returning to the international arena for the first time since February 2020, at which point she took a break from the game for a period of maternity leave.
She has come back with a sense of burning ambition ahead of Pakistan's tournament opener against India, pushing her side to compete for a first-ever semi-final berth. "Our aim is to make it to the semi-finals, something which we have never done before," she said. "I strongly believe that this side has all the ingredients to achieve that."
Superstars
Nida Dar: The veteran allrounder made her highest international score in a qualifier defeat against Bangladesh late last year, coming to the crease at 42 for 4 and guiding her side to a final total of 201 for 7 alongside Aliya Riaz, who struck an unbeaten 61.
That was Pakistan's solitary defeat in three games before the tournament was cancelled midway through as a result of the pandemic, a turn of events that ultimately proved useful for their World Cup hopes. The failure to complete the competition meant the top eight teams in the world – according to their ICC ranking – were put through, with Pakistan profiting from their eighth-place ranking.
Javeria Khan: In Maroof's absence last year, Khan captained her country – a position she has held 17 times in ODIs. The 33-year-old is 21st – sandwiched between Sophie Devine and Anjum Chopra – on the all-time run-scoring list in international 50-over cricket. She has made just two hundreds in 115 appearances alongside 15 half centuries, though she has twice fallen in the nineties. Both of those three-figure scores came against Sri Lanka, against whom she averages 46.08.
Rising star
Without making a match-defining contribution, Muneeba Ali has reached double figures in every ODI innings since recording a duck against South Africa in January 2021. The 24-year-old left-hander passed fifty for the first time in international cricket against West Indies in November, five days before adding another half century against Ireland. Having made her ODI debut in 2018, she is primed for her first World Cup, likely taking her place at the top of the order alongside Javeria Khan.
Pakistan are capable of springing a surprise at this World Cup
BATTING
Power hitters
Allrounder Aliya Riaz had an excellent 2021, making scores of 48 not out, 49, 61 not out, 26, 44 not out, 46, 63 not out, 26, 27, 81, and 28 in ODIs against West Indies, South Africa, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. Primarily utilised in the middle order at No.6, she hit nine sixes in the calendar year during a run of form that pushed her up to ninth on Pakistan's all-time run-scoring list in women's ODIs despite only having made 38 appearances.
Among those above her are Maroof, Dar, Javeria Khan and Nahida Khan, all of whom are part of Hemp's squad for this competition. Sidra Ameen, next on the list behind Riaz, is also among the travelling party, 11 years after her international debut.
Anchor
That role is likely fall on Javeria, though Nahida Khan is another player of enormous experience. She hasn't represented Pakistan at senior level since 2019 but the 35-year-old did make a half century against West Indies A last July when she toured with the country's second string. In the same game, Ameen carried her bat for an unbeaten hundred.
Finisher
Riaz and Dar hold joint responsibility for that role, having performed an extremely volatile role with decent consistency in the last 12 months, while Fatima Sana has also contributed vital runs, including in a low-scoring win over Zimbabwe last November.
Problem areas
An overall lack of runs will be Pakistan's main issue; it will be plenty to ask of Maroof, returning to the fold after a two-year absence, to walk straight back into the runs. Indeed, only two players have ever made an ODI hundred for Pakistan, with one of those – Nain Abidi – long-since retired. Javeria Khan is the other, but even the more recent of the pair came four years ago in Dambulla.
Nida Dar and captain Bismah Maroof will need to shine for Pakistan
BOWLING
Speed merchants
Only two Pakistani seamers have taken more ODI wickets than Diana Baig and Anam Amin, Maroof's new-ball pairing. In reserve, Hemp's squad features medium-pacers Aiman Anwar and Fatima Sana, as well as part-timers Riaz and Sohail, who has taken half of her eight ODI wickets in her last two appearances.
Variation
Pakistan make up for their lack of seamers with a jampacked line-up of spinners, with Maroof, Dar, Ghulam Fatima and Nashra Sandhu all among the options available through the middle overs. Only Sana Mir and Sadia Yousuf have more ODI wickets than Dar, while left-arm spinner Sandhu has picked up 54 already in just four years, having claimed three on debut against South Africa shortly before the 2017 World Cup.
Problem areas
A lack of proper seam presence beyond the new-ball pair could become an issue on the flat surfaces of New Zealand, especially if it doesn't spin for Maroof's cartel of finger-spinners and Fatima, the solitary leggie back in the reckoning after four years without an international cap. Seamer Kaint Imtiaz and left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal are both missing with injuries.
Who takes the gloves?
Sidra Nawaz will likely keep wicket for Pakistan, though her batting – she averages just 7.87 through 50 ODIs – leaves plenty to be desired. Should they wish to stack the batting, Hemp could opt to hand the gloves to Muneeba, who has kept wicket in six of her 19 ODIs.
Squad: Bismah Maroof, Nida Dar, Aiman Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Ghulam Fatima, Javeria Khan, Muneeba Ali, Nahida Khan, Nashra Sandhu, Omaima Sohail, Sidra Ameen, Sidra Nawaz
Fixtures: March 6 – India; March 8 – Australia; March 11 – South Africa; March 14 – Bangladesh; Marrch 21 – West Indies; March 24 – England; March 26 – New Zealand
Possible starting XI: Muneeba, Javeria, Nahida, Maroof, Sohail, Riaz, Dar, Sana, Baig, Sandhu, Amin
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