NICK HOWSON: The campaign in Australia is of paramount importance - but building on the momentum created by the sport's development back at home is the primary objective
That Pakistan are preparing to embark on their 10th major ICC event and the focus is firmly on their tournament prospects says plenty about the progress that has been made during the turbulent journey undertaken by their women's side.
The formation and development of the team has always been an uphill struggle, to put it lightly. Outright bans, death threats, cases of sexual harassment and a terror attack have all attempted to derail the women's arm of the sport from becoming a staple in Pakistani society.
There is progress still to be made. Playing international matches on home turf remains a luxury. The pay-gap to the men is shrinking but still needs work. Proper remuneration packages for domestic players are only a recent introduction. But the direction of travel is a positive one.
Hence, upon arriving in Australia for the T20 World Cup the tale is not about what Pakistan have been through to get to this point, but what the campaign could mean going forward. Inspiring generations, giving experience to a squad brimmed with teenagers and exposure to alien conditions adds another layer to a country that are desperate to make up for lost time. Really.
While ICC regulations insist nations must positively invest and promote women's cricket, the Pakistan Cricket Board have always been accused of treating this directive with insincerity. But amid an overhaul of the national structure, a new batch of sophisticated central contracts including big incentives and public commitment from chief executive Wasim Khan the tide appears to be changing.
Captain Bismah Maroof leads a squad of the old and the new. Three players have well over a century of full international appearances. Three others were not even born when Pakistan made their first-ever World Cup appearance in 1997. There is optimism over the present and the future.
"It is a young squad and they're very energetic," Maroof told The Cricketer. "They are brave enough and they don't have expectations or pressures on their shoulders.
"They don't know the pressure. You can ask them to express themselves.
THE CRICKETER'S BIG QUIZ OF THE WORLD CUP
"The youngsters are very eager to see if they're brave enough and if they can do well it can be a big moment for our team and very important for us."
Fifteen-year-old Ayesha Naseem leads the teenage trio, with Fatima Sana (18) and Syeda Aroob Shah (16) completing the group. The long tradition of young Pakistan cricketers being entrusted at the highest level is set to continue.
The message such faith sends back home is an important one. You can only dream what you see. Girls are flowing through national academies like never before but fresh evidence outings at a global tournament are realistic could create a new wave of interest.
"If we get the results it will massively change our country," admitted 28-year-old Maroof, whose debut came back in 2006.
"We have been working with the grassroots level and the cricket academy is open in Pakistan and that means the girls are playing throughout the year. Certainly, women's cricket is growing.
"The dynamic of the game is changing in the way teams are coming through. What we need in our team is for them to be brave enough and for them to express themselves. The youngsters just need more experience and more time. They will learn quickly and be more confident about their game.
"There is lots of support from back home. It has changed from the last 10 years. People recognise us and realise that women's cricket exists. The board has been very supportive and they want women's cricket to grow. Action has been taken and they're looking after us and hopefully, we're moving in the right direction as a team."
Though drawn in the weaker of the two groups in Australia, it would be fanciful to suggest they are contenders for the knock-out phase. A talented group of players this might be, but their experience of this stage remains wafer-thin. There has only been one bilateral limited-overs tour of Australia in Pakistan's history, and that ended with an 8-0 whitewash across a 50 and 20-over series.
Pakistan have been good progress of late with recent wins over West Indies and South Africa
Nida Dar became the first Pakistan player to feature in a foreign league when she played in the Women's Big Bash before the turn of the year and while her experiences will be important it is unlikely to make much of a difference. The PCB's attitude towards allowing their stars to venture away from home shores is archaic and has to change if they're to make any real progress.
"[Nida's] experience was very important," Maroof added. "She told us a lot of things about how the pitches were fast and bouncy and how we should play our shots and where we can score runs and which areas we should target. Her experience will be vital in this World Cup.
"We all want to play competitive cricket and if we can get into these leagues and get more experience and it will enhance our game. Definitely it will help us to improve our team and it can push them more if they get more chances to play competitive cricket."
Perversely, Maroof's side might be encouraged by the slow surfaces so far during this tournament which have been receptive to pace off the ball and made free-flowing scoring tough. Nevertheless, rain during their training camp in Brisbane in the lead-up to the competition has meant much of their practice has been indoors, making their task even more daunting.
Maroof has an intimidating prospect all of her own as she attempts to fill the void left by Sana Mir, whose recent form over the last two years saw her left out of the squad entirely, having been named as captain. Though she has previously led the side in 36 T20Is this will be the first time she has done so in a global tournament.
"It is a big responsibility for me," she admitted. "Sana has been a very good leader and very supportive of me. I think it is an exciting time for me as a captain to lead in a World Cup.
"I don't think of the big stage and feel more pressure. I'm just thinking about how well I can manage this team and I shall try to build momentum from the very first game and bring some positive results."
Unwilling to put her team under any unnecessary pressure to pull-off major upsets, central to Maroof's leadership will be trying to squeeze every sinew of effort from the squad. "One hundred and twenty per cent" as she puts it must become a prerequisite for a side who despite landing recent wins over group rivals West Indies and South Africa must start again.
Bismah Maroof has been a staple of the Pakistan team since her international debut in 2006
From a personal perspective, Maroof could not be in better form heading into the World Cup. She enjoyed a fruitful 2019 for Pakistan, scoring four of her 11 career T20 half-centuries. That form was carried into the new year as she averaged 55 in the domestic T20 Cricket Championship with another fifty helping to guide Challengers to victory in the final.
"I had a very good last year and I wanted to contribute as much as I can," said Maroof, who averages 27.28 in the shortened format. "I tried to contribute whenever the situation or the opportunity I got and I tried to make the best of it.
"We know that we have expectations. We are ready for everything in this World Cup. We need to stay in our process, what we are doing well in the past year and try and continue that and don't think of the big stage.
"I think this team has a real spark that can turn things around. They're really willing to do something and they are very challenging."
Victory for any of the 10 sides would be life-changing for the individuals fortunate enough to lift the trophy in early March. But for only a select few would success change the perception of the sport in their country forever.
"It would be a dream come true for all of us," explained Maroof. "The girls, families and the parents they will get their daughters to the grounds and they will allow them to play. It would be a massive change for us."
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