Pakistan’s women’s cricket team have used an unconventional method to sharpen their preparation .Captain Fatima Sana revealed that her team played a T20 series against the men’s side before leaving for Dubai for the continental tournament.
The games were arranged during Pakistan’s training camp at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, where Fatima’s squad faced teenage and senior players from the Abdul Qadir Cricket Academy. Rather than using the encounters as specific match simulations, the teams played under full T20 rules.
The purpose behind the move was to expose Pakistan’s players to a higher level of pressure and challenge their decision-making when faced with demanding situations. Fatima believes the experience can benefit the team when the competition begins.
“We are well prepared for the tournament. We have played competitive matches against boys in which we were put under pressure. These learnings will help us adapt to the challenges of the competition,” Fatima said, as quoted by Cricinfo.
Pakistan seek maiden Asia Cup title
Pakistan enter the Asia Cup seeking a breakthrough in a tournament they have never won. Their best results came in 2012 and 2016, when they reached successive finals but lost to India on both occasions. They have failed to return to the final since then, exiting at the semi-final stage in each of the last two editions.
Notably, the team’s preparations follow a difficult T20 World Cup campaign. Pakistan won only once in five matches, defeating the Netherlands, while losing narrowly to South Africa and Bangladesh and facing tough contests against India and Australia. Fatima emerged as one of the team’s leading performers, making an unbeaten 55 against South Africa and taking 11 wickets, the second-highest tally in the tournament.
They struggled to deliver on the big stage for a few years now and Fatima believes that the team failed to handle pressure. She believes that the competitive matches against the men’s side have certainly benefited them in that regard.
“We needed to understand how to handle the pressure better, and that is something which is highlighted whenever there is a big tournament. These matches have helped us on that front, and the difference will be visible. It is very important to stay calm in pressure situations rather than pressing the panic button. We have told the girls to stay calm in the crunch moments, stay in control, trust their hard work and execute the plans,” Fatima said.