With the 2024 Women’s Asia Cup just a couple of days away, the Pakistan women’s team head coach, Muhammad Wasim, in a recent press conference discussed the team’s preparations for the Women’s Asia Cup.
This year’s Women’s Asia Cup will be the ninth edition of the tournament, scheduled from July 19 to July 28, 2024, in Sri Lanka. It will feature eight teams, with all matches played as Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), keeping in mind the T20 World Cup that follows shortly after. The tournament format includes a group round-robin stage followed by knockouts.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recently appointed Muhammad Wasim as the head coach for the women’s team ahead of the ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2024. The Pakistan women’s team led by skipper Nida Dar were last involved in the white-ball series that included a three-match T20I series followed by a three-match ODI series. England whitewashed Pakistan (3-0) in the T20I series and also clinched the ODI series (2-0) in May earlier this year.
Wasim acknowledged the new journey for both the coaching staff and him in women’s cricket, highlighting its vast potential as observed in the past. He emphasized that there is no shortage of talent in women’s cricket and that they are facing a new challenge, with noticeable changes already taking place. The team recently concluded their preparatory 10-day camp for the Asia Cup in challenging, warm weather conditions, which has been beneficial. They held two practice sessions and played practice matches to try different combinations, ensuring the best possible preparation for the Asia Cup. Wasim expressed hope for better results in the future, noting that while there was room for improvement in past performances, their next task is to guide women’s cricket in a better direction to achieve improved outcomes.
“We have been preparing for the Asia Cup with a 10-day camp in tough, warm weather conditions, which has helped us prepare well. We held two practice sessions and played practice matches where we tried different combinations. We have made the best possible preparations for the Asia Cup, and hopefully, you will see better results in the future,” he said.
He further added, “When we look at women’s cricket, we see that there was room for improvement in past performances. Our next task and challenge are to steer women’s cricket in a better direction so that our future results reflect this improvement.”
Wasim responded to the question about gender equality and the move by India to equalize the central contracts of both men’s and women’s teams by emphasizing the need for a better direction and addressing existing challenges. He highlighted the feedback received from players and management during the camp, pointing out the necessity of investing in women’s cricket to achieve the same results as men’s cricket. Wasim stressed the importance of equality in facilities and salaries, noting that there is significant room for improvement. He mentioned his efforts during the camp to provide the best possible facilities to the girls, equivalent to what the boys receive.
He stated, “We need to address this issue. If you expect the same results from women’s cricket as you do from men’s cricket, then I think you need to invest accordingly. Equality must be achieved, whether in facilities or salaries for the players. There is a lot of room for improvement. During the camp, my effort was to provide the best possible facilities to the girls, the same facilities that the boys receive.”
Acknowledging past neglect in this area, Wasim expressed optimism about the new management’s serious approach and plans for women’s cricket.
“However, this is an area that was perhaps neglected in the past and needs a lot of improvement. But I would say that the new management towards women’s cricket shows a better direction. Their plans indicate that they are serious about it,” Wasim stated.
He emphasized the need for a serious commitment to facilities, infrastructure, and domestic cricket to advance women’s cricket, advocating for much better provisions in all areas before demanding results. He outlined plans for a permanent setup and proper structure for women’s domestic cricket throughout the year, including the introduction of age group cricket, to ensure substantial improvement and achieve equality.
Quoting Wasim, “If we want to elevate women’s cricket, we must definitely bring equality.”
Wasim then addressed concerns about team leadership, squad selection and grooming the future captain. He acknowledged the need for a larger pool of players at the national level, emphasizing that improving domestic cricket would naturally expand this pool based on performance. Wasim stressed the importance of developing more replacements and backups, highlighting that enhancing domestic setups could effectively address this issue and lead to significant improvements.
“If we look at the national level, our pool isn’t as large as it should be. Again, one of the factors is that when our domestic cricket is conducted properly, your pool expands based on performance. I think we definitely need to increase our pool of players. We don’t have as many replacements or backups as we should. This again reflects the fact that once we have a proper setup for domestic cricket, this area can be covered, and there is a lot of room for improvement, he stated.”
Regarding squad selection, Wasim emphasized that decisions were made based on the best available options. He acknowledged the experience and consistent performance of the current captain, noting Nida Dar’s proficiency in both bowling and batting. Wasim underscored the importance of consistency from the captain and other team members alike. He mentioned ongoing efforts to groom potential future captains through practice matches, emphasizing that leadership should be based on skills and qualities rather than seniority alone. Wasim assured that these factors were being carefully considered to strengthen the team’s leadership and performance capabilities going forward.
“Regarding the second point you made, we definitely have an eye on it. In practice matches, we tried some things with the intention of grooming a future captain. I don’t personally believe that the most senior player should automatically be the captain. We need to look at the skills and leadership qualities. So, we are definitely keeping this in mind, shared the head coach.”
Wasim further emphasized the significance of the upcoming match against India in the Women’s Asia Cup. He stressed the importance of taking each match step by step, acknowledging past instances where the team’s performance in the tournament has varied despite results against India. Wasim highlighted the attention-grabbing nature of matches between Pakistan and India across all categories, underscoring the team’s focus on meticulous preparation. He expressed optimism for a strong start to the tournament, hoping for a promising performance throughout the Asia Cup
“It’s definitely an important match, the one against India, but we are taking it one match at a time. In the past, I think we have won the Asia Cup by losing to India, and we have also lost the Asia Cup after winning against India. So, it’s not necessary like that, but definitely, whenever Pakistan and India play a match, all eyes are on whether it’s men’s, seniors’, or women’s. So, our effort is to improve our preparation and approach it that way, and I hope we get a better start from the India match, and I am quite hopeful that, God willing, this Asia Cup will see a very good improvement, he concluded.”