Cricketer Kainat Imtiaz wants to be better than the best

Pakistan Women cricket team’s all-rounder Kainat Imtiaz on Monday said that she wants to be better than the bests of the game.

The 27-year-old cricketer, during a press conference in Karachi today, said that she does not idolise any player as she is not interested in emulating anyone. Her goal is to surpass the best ones.

“There are some great players in female cricket like Meg Lanning and Ellyse Perry. I want to be known as an even better player, I don’t aim to be like one of them, I want to be better than them,” she said.

Kainat, a fast bowling all-rounder, has represented Pakistan in 11 ODIs and 12 T20Is. Although she has been in circuit for a long time, but has become a regular member of Pakistan women team this year only.

“Women's cricket has come a long way. The way PCB is working for the promotion of our game is commendable. It has given an identity to women's cricket and now more young players are eager to play the game,” she said.

Next up for the national women's team is England, with the two teams set to play three ODIs and three T20I next month in Malaysia. Kainat says she and her teammates are ready for the English challenge, thanks to their familiarity.

“Malaysia is like a home ground for us. We are hopeful of doing well in the series against England,” she said.

“We have been preparing well for this series. Even the series against Bangladesh was part of the series. We are confident of a better show against England this time,” she added.

Kainat said that the team would miss the presence of the experienced Sana Mir — who recently decided to take a break from international cricket — but remained confident in young players ability to fill the void.

She further said that the rising number of international matches is helpful for the growth of women's cricket. “The more we play, the more we get better,” she said.

“We play each game with intensity and passion, and we never give up but we sometimes don't finish the way we should. We need to get more stronger mentally,” she said when asked why Pakistan women have a history of surrendering games from a winning position.

Pakistan women team will leave for Malaysia on November 30 to play three T20Is and three ODIs against England.

Chief selector Urooj Mumtaz is expected to announce a final squad for the tour on Wednesday.