Gull Feroza, Tuba Hassan inducted for SL T20I series

KARACHI: Uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Gull Feroza and leg-spinner Tuba Hassan have been inducted in Pakistan women T20I squad for the three-match series against Sri Lanka that will be played here at the Southend Club Ground from May 24.

Uncapped batter Sadaf Shamas has been included in the ODI squad while Gull Feroza, who hails from Multan, has also earned a spot in the 15-member 50-over matches’ squad.

Chief Selector Asmavia Iqbal finalised the squad in consultation with the head coach David Hemp and captain Bismah Maroof. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said that the performances of the pre-series camp participants that was organised at two venues in Karachi from May 9 as well as form, fitness and past performances were considered in the selection process.

Bismah, Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig and Fatima Sana who appeared in the FairBreak Invitational T20 event in Dubai have returned to Karachi and will take part in the three-day pre series training from May 21.

Kainat Imtiaz (T20I) and Sadia Iqbal (both squads) have returned after recovering from injuries and proving their form and fitness in the pre-series camp.

The pre-series camp will conclude on Thursday (today) with a practice session at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre.

A 50-over practice match was staged between the 26 camp participants at the Southend Club on Tuesday.

The three T20Is will be played on May 24, 26 and 28. The ODIs that are a part of ICC Women’s Championship will be staged on June 1, 3 and 5.

“. . . we have provided opportunities to Gull Feroza, Sadaf Shamas and Tuba Hassan on the basis of their future potential and skills,” Asmavia said. “The three youngsters took part in the emerging camp last December and made an impression with their talent. I am pleased to see their progress and we all feel it is now the right time to give them exposure of international cricket.

“We had sent Tuba as a reserve player in the recently concluded ODI World Cup, she continues to make good progress and since spin bowling has been a traditional strength of ours, I feel she can make a good contribution in our bowling strategy. Gull Feroza has also made good progress, she has an aggressive style of play and can provide us brisk starts in both T20Is and ODIs which are now a big requirement at the international stage. Sadaf besides her batting skills provides us a bowling option too with her medium pace skills,” she said.

“For the rest of the squad, we considered the players fitness, form and their performances in the preparation camp where we played a number of practice T20 and 50-over matches. I believe we have two formidable squads for both T20Is and ODIs, both squads have good depth and most certainly have the pedigree to beat the Sri Lankan team.”

T20I squad: Bismah Maroof (captain), Aiman Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Ayesha Naseem, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Gull Feroza (wicketkeeper), Iram Javed, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui (wicketkeeper), Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal and Tuba Hassan.

ODI squad: Bismah Maroof (captain), Aiman Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Ghulam Fatima, Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui (wicketkeeper), Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin and Sidra Nawaz (wicketkeeper).

Support personnel for both T20Is and ODIs: Asiya Khan (manager), David Hemp (head coach), Saleem Jaffer (bowling coach), Waqar Orakzai (assistant coach), Saboor Ahmad (strength and conditioning coach), Rifat Asghar Gill (physiotherapist), Dr Muhammad Khurram (doctor), Zubair Ahmed (analyst).