Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made a significant change to the women’s cricket team by announcing Nida Dar as the captain, with Mark Coles and Saleem Jaffar appointed as head coach and chief selector respectively. The appointments were made in line with PCB’s vision and strategy to invest further in women’s cricket and prepare for the upcoming international assignments. The team is scheduled to play five bilateral cricket series comprising a total of 15 ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25 ODIs and 17 T20Is in an 11-month period from August 2023 to July 2024, leading up to the 10-team ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh and the eight-team ICC Women’s World Cup in India, in 2024 and 2025 respectively.
Nida Dar replaces Bismah Maroof, who stepped down from captaincy after the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 in South Africa. Nida is a seasoned player and the most experienced player in the country with 130 T20Is and 99 ODIs. She was awarded the PCB Women’s Cricketer of the Year for 2021 and is also the leading wicket-taker in T20I women’s cricket, with 126 wickets to her name. In addition, she has been part of the Pakistan side that won the Asian Games gold in 2010 and 2014, and the first Pakistan women’s cricketer to feature in Australia’s women’s franchise cricket.
Mark Coles will serve as the head coach of the team, having previously served in the same capacity from 2017 to 2019. During his previous tenure, the side achieved major results, including a fifth finish in the ICC Women’s Championship 2017-2020, paving the way for the side to feature in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2022. The coaching panel includes Mohtashim Rasheed as fielding coach, Taufeeq Umar as batting coach, and Saleem Jaffar as bowling coach.
The selection committee comprises of Saleem Jaffar (chairman), Asmavia Iqbal, Marina Iqbal, and Mohtashim Rasheed as members. The Pakistan women’s team is scheduled to play five bilateral cricket series comprising a total of 15 ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25 ODIs and 17 T20Is in an 11-month period from August 2023 to July 2024. These matches will lead up to the 10-team ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh and the eight-team ICC Women’s World Cup in India, in 2024 and 2025 respectively.
The upcoming bilateral series of Pakistan women’s team include South Africa tour to Pakistan (three ODIs & three T20Is) in Aug/Sep 2023, Pakistan tour to Bangladesh (three ODIs & three T20Is) in Oct/Nov 2023, Pakistan tour to New Zealand (three ODIs & three T20Is) in Nov/Dec 2023, West Indies tour to Pakistan (three ODIs & five T20Is) in Feb 2024, and Pakistan tour to England (three ODIs & three T20Is) in Jul 2024.
