Colombo, Oct 18 (IANS) Pakistan captain Fatima Sana expressed both pride and determination after their Women’s World Cup match against New Zealand in Colombo was abandoned due to rain. The washout further complicated the tournament landscape for both sides, but Sana remained focused on the road ahead.
Reflecting on Pakistan’s recent performances and the match that didn’t get completed, she emphasised the strength of her bowling unit and the need for improvement with the bat.
“We got a good start in the Power-play, but we lost a few wickets. We believed that if we could have made around 180, our bowlers could have restricted them. We all have a good belief in our bowling side – they’ve been performing really well. But yeah, hopefully next time,” she said after the washout.
She praised the pitch conditions and the effort of her bowlers, calling their performance “awesome” in the tournament so far.
“I think the pitch was good for bowlers, and the way our bowlers performed was awesome. We have a strong belief in our bowling attack, so hopefully, in the next matches, we’ll get a good chance to show that again.”
“I think, as a bowling unit, everyone is happy. But definitely, we need to improve on the batting side. We still have two matches left, and we’ll try to play good cricket in those games.”
Fatima also spoke about her personal experience bowling in Colombo and the unexpected assistance she found from the surface. “When I came here, everyone told me it’s a spin track. But when I bowled, I actually got a lot of seam movement and a good seaming surface. So I just tried to enjoy the pitch, and I got wickets in the Power-play as well. I really enjoyed bowling here.”
Despite the challenges of leading a side still searching for a win, the young captain remains optimistic and supported by her team. “It (captaincy) is tough, because we haven’t been winning many matches, but the girls are supporting me really well. I’ve enjoyed my bowling and also my captaincy.”
With two matches left in their campaign, Pakistan will be aiming to finish strongly and build momentum for the future. They will next take on South Africa on October 21 before wrapping up their campaign against Sri Lanka three days later.
–IANS
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