Rawalpindi and Lahore will face off in match no. 18 of the ongoing 2024 Pakistan National Women’s Twenty20 (T20) Tournament at the Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi, on the 23rd of January 2024, at 11:30 AM Indian Standard Time (IST).
Squads:
Rawalpindi – Aliya Riaz (C), Aima Saleem Satti, Areeja Haseeb, Fajar Naveed, Farzana Farooq, Fatima Syed, Fatima Zehra Shah, Humna Bilal, Kainat Gulalai, Lubna Behram, Natalia Parvaiz, Noor Fatima, Sania Rasheed, Tania Saeed, Waheeda Akhtar, Zainab Arif Jutt
Lahore – Nida Dar (C), Ayesha Zafar, Amber Kainaat, Areesha Noor, Bismah Maroof, Fatima Khan, Fatima Shahid, Ghulam Fatima, Iram Javed, Kainat Hafeez, Nashra Sundhu, Noreen Yaqoob, Sadaf Shamas, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz, Zunash Abdul Sattar
Players to watch out:
Aliya Riaz
The 31-year-old all-rounder has accumulated 938 runs, including the best of 57*, from 70 T20 Internationals (T20Is) and has also struck 20 wickets. Aliya hasn’t scored a lot of runs in this competition; however, she notched up a solid 63 and will be backed to build on it. With the ball, she’s been handy and will be relied upon for the goods.
Waheeda Akhtar
The 28-year-old pacer recently debuted for the national team on their tour of New Zealand. In the ongoing tournament, she has further impressed, chipping in with a valuable 42 runs from a couple of outings, while also taking 4 wickets from as many bowling innings. The team will count on her to continue forward with this momentum.
Nida Dar
The 37-year-old all-rounder, in T20Is, from 134 outings has scalped 130 wickets, including the best of 5/21, and has also added 1839 runs to the tally from 125 innings. On her return from an injury, Nida, in her only outing with the bat this tournament, scored a 38 and will be banked upon to step up for the team now in the business end.
Areesha Noor
The 19-year-old pacer, from 3 outings this tournament, has taken as many wickets, maintaining an economy rate of 6.91, and registering the best of 2/30. Areesha is a promising emerging talent and can be a valuable contributor with the bat as well. It’ll be hoped she continues with this bowling form while also chipping in with the bat.
Pitch:
The Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium wicket is a balanced one that offers a fair contest between bat and ball. While batters enjoy the opportunity to score well with an average in the 140s, bowlers, especially spinners benefit from the conditions.
Weather:
With the temperature forecasted to be around 17°C and clear sunny skies, it’ll be a warm sunny day at the Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium. With light winds and humidity at 63%, it’ll be a good day for cricket.
Fantasy playing XI:
Sidra Nawaz, Sidra Amin, Aima Saleem Satti, Sadaf Shamas, Aliya Riaz, Nida Dar, Ayesha Zafar, Ayesha Zafar, Waheeda Akhtar, Nashra Sundhu, Ghulam Fatima, Fatima Khan
Match details:
Date – January 23, 2024
Time – 11:30 AM IST
Venue – Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi
Broadcast – The game will be live-streamed on the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) YouTube channel.
