The 2022 Women's Asia Cup will be held at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium in Bangladesh. As reported by Cricbuzz, the seven-team tournament will be held from October 1 to 16.
Hosts Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia and the UAE are the participating nations.
Here are the squads as they are announced:
Pakistan
Bismah Maroof (c), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Naseem, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali (wk), Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz (wk) and Tuba Hasan.
Reserve players: Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Pervaiz, Umme Hani and Waheeda Akhtar
Opening batter Sidra Amin and wicket-keeper Sidra Nawaz have been recalled into the Pakistan squad. The selectors have also named uncapped bowling all-rounder Sadaf Shamas in the 15-member squad announced on Wednesday (September 7).
"I want to congratulate the 15 players selected for the all-important Asia Cup next month. These players have been selected after observing their performances in the recent practice matches in Lahore," said Asmavia Iqbal, the national chief selector for the women's team.
Speaking about the inclusions of Amin and Nawaz, Iqbal noted that the recent form and duration of the upcoming tournaments were taken into consideration. "Sidra Amin has been in good form of-late. She did well in the practice matches and became only the second Pakistan women batter to score two ODI centuries recently. Her presence at the top of the order will instill stability," she said.
"We have also selected an additional keeper in Sidra Nawaz because of the long duration of the tournament. On these tracks, we need a specialist wicketkeeper as a backup for Muneeba Ali, in case she becomes unavailable," she further added.
Both Amin and Nawaz weren't part of the recently-concluded Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham. Anam Amin, Gul Feroza and Iram Javed have all been left out from the squad that took part in the tri-series involving hosts Ireland and Australia in July-August.
Shedding a light on the uncapped all-rounder Sadaf Shamas, Iqbal mentioned that "she did extraordinarily well in the recent practice matches and we feel this was the right time to elevate her to the national side. I am sure she will prove to be a good addition to the national side. Her ability to bat in the middle order and bowl medium fast makes her a good fit in the side and promises to provide balance to the playing XI whenever she gets her chance."
Players will undergo a 10-day camp at Lahore Country Club, Muridke from 18 to 27 September before flying out to Bangladesh on 28 September.
