As a result of her retirement from international cricket, Pakistani batter Ayesha Naseem was not selected for the team to compete in the women’s cricket sport at the forthcoming Asian Games, which will take place in Hangzhou, China, from September 23 to October 8, in which Pakistan team will be led by Nida Dar.
Naseem’s decision, for “personal reasons”, has been speculated about over the last week but was confirmed by the board in its squad announcement. She had announced her decision to walk away from the game as she wanted to live her life as per the teachings of Islam.
”In my hometown, girls aren’t even allowed to step out, let alone play cricket. People frowned upon me for playing cricket. They constantly dissuaded me and suggested that I was a bad influence on their daughters,” she had told Cricbuzz.
The brute force with which she tonked the ball (T20I strike rate of 128.12) not only made her stand out among the rest of her teammates but also put her alongside the best of the power hitters in the women’s game. The last of her standout knocks was a 25-ball 43 against India at the World Cup earlier this year.
“We wish the best of luck to Ayesha Naseem in her future endeavors as the PCB understands and respects her decision to quit the game for personal reasons,” Tania Mallick, PCB’s head of women’s cricket, said in a board statement.
Naseem, 18, played four ODIs and 30 T20Is – including the T20 World Cups in 2020 and 2023 – after making her debut against Thailand in March 2020.
Nida Dar To Lead Pakistan Women In Asian Games
The PCB also named the Pakistan women’s squad for the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, and revealed that Nida Dar will lead the side in the event. This will be Dar’s first as full-time captain after Bismah Maroof stepped down from the role following Pakistan’s group-stage exit in the T20 World Cup earlier this year.
Anosha Nasir, a left-arm spinner, and Shawaal Zulfiqar, a batter, were both members of the first U19 women’s team and received their first national call-ups as a result. Legspin bowling all-arounder Syeda Aroob Shah, the leader of the Under-19 team, made a three-year comeback to the senior team.
In order to partner with the excellent Fatima Sana with the new ball, Diana Baig, who was forced to miss the T20 World Cup due to a finger injury, was brought back into the lineup. The 27-year-old all-arounder Natalia Pervaiz, who last competed internationally in 2018, also received consideration.
Javeria Khan, Sadia Iqbal, Tuba Hassan, Omaima Sohail, Aiman Anwer, and Sidra Nawaz, all part of the T20 World Cup squad, missed out.
Pakistan won the gold medal at the Asian Games in 2010 and 2014, the last two times cricket was a part of the competition.
Pakistan women’s squad for Asian Games: Nida Dar (capt), Aliya Riaz, Anosha Nasir, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Muneeba Ali, Najiha Alvi, Nashra Sandhu, Nataliya Pervaiz, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Sidra Ameen, Syeda Aroob Shah, Umm-e-Hani