Muneeba Ali to lead Pakistan in Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy
Fatima Sana will not take part in the tournament due to her WBBL commitments with Perth Scorchers
Wicketkeeper-batter Muneeba Ali will lead Pakistan in the upcoming ICC Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy to be held in Ajman, UAE in November. Fatima Sana, Pakistan’s regular skipper, will miss the tournament owing to her commitments in the WBBL with Perth Scorchers.
This marks the second instance of Muneeba stepping in for Sana as captain this year. She led Pakistan during the T20I leg of their tour of Sri Lanka in July when Sana took part in The Hundred for Birmingham Phoenix. Muneeba will also make her comeback in the Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy having missed the Asian Games due to personal reasons.
Batter Ayesha Zafar has been named vice-captain, while all-rounder Aliya Riaz and pacer Humna Bilal have been left out from the squad that featured in the Asian Games. Barring Sana’s absence, the rest of the 14-member squad is similar to the one that featured in the Women’s Asia Cup that preceded the Asian Games. Waheeda Akhtar and Sadaf Shamas, who were part of the Asia Cup squad but not the Asian Games, have also been named.
The squad will assemble in Lahore on November 6 for a three-day training camp from November 7-9, before their departure to the UAE. The ten-team tournament will begin on November 12.
