Pakistan hand recalls to five players for West Indies white-ball series
Pakistan and West Indies women's teams will play three ODIs and five T20Is from 18 April.
Pakistan have announced 16-member ODI and T20I squads for the series against the West Indies women’s team starting mid-April.
The white-ball series begins with the ODIs, which are a part of ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25. The three-match ODI series will be followed by five T20Is, which will help prepare the teams for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup later this year.
All eight matches will be played at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi.
Wicketkeeper-batter Sidra Nawaz and Ayesha Zafar are two experienced players who earned a recall to the T20I squad.
Gull Feroza, Rameen Shamim and Tuba Hassan were the other three to make a return to the T20I squad. Tuba was also picked in the ODI squad for the series.
Leg-spinner Ghulam Fatima was rested to help in her recovery process from the minor injuries she sustained in a car accident last week. Senior player Bismah Maroof, who was involved in the same accident, has been named in both squads but will only be picked after a fitness test next week.
ODI squad: Nida Dar (captain), Aliya Riaz, Bismah Maroof (subject to fitness), Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Muneeba Ali, Najiha Alvi (wk), Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz (wk), Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani and Waheeda Akhtar.
T20I squad: Nida Dar (captain), Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Zafar, Bismah Maroof (subject to fitness), Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali (wk), Najiha Alvi (wk), Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Rameen Shamim, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Tuba Hassan and Umm-e-Hani.
"Five players in the squads return due to their performances in the domestic tournament and good skills they demonstrated in the camp," chief selector Saleem Jaffar said.
“The series against the West Indies is important for us as the ODIs are part of ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25. We are aiming to secure maximum points in the series, taking advantage of our home conditions, to enhance our chances for direct qualification for next year’s ICC Women’s ODI World Cup."
“The series against the West Indies also presents an opportunity for the players to showcase their skills and secure berths for next month’s England tour. The ongoing domestic one-day tournament continues to provide chances to players not involved in the series against the West Indies to produce strong performance and stake claims for places for the England series.”