Pakistan women’s cricket captain Fatima Sana has called for parity between the national men’s and women’s teams and urged fans to fill stadiums for women’s tournaments. The 25-year-old, who has led Pakistan since 2024, spoke on Tuesday after her Perth Scorchers side beat Melbourne Stars by six wickets in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) in Australia, telling CricBlog TV that she wants the women’s game to receive the same attention and support as the men’s.
Key Takeaways: Sana made her WBBL debut on October 31 and has taken five wickets in as many matches at an economy of 7.62 runs per over, leaving her joint-10th in the tournament’s wickets chart. Pakistan is due to host the 2028 women’s T20 World Cup — the first ICC women’s event in the country — with 12 teams set to take part, up from 10 in previous editions.
Sana is only the second Pakistani player to feature in the WBBL, after former captain Nida Dar, who played for Sydney Thunder in 2019. She has also played for Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred in England, making Australia her second overseas league. Her comments come as women’s cricket grows globally, yet Pakistan remains a market where the men’s game dominates crowds, media attention and commercial visibility, creating a gap that players say must be narrowed.
“If you look at world cricket, the sport is growing. I would like to see the same growth in Pakistan, be it in the men’s or women’s game,” Sana said. She added: “The way the crowds turn up for men’s matches, I hope the same happens for the women’s matches.” Sana holds the world record for the fastest international 50 in women’s T20 cricket and led Pakistan to a bronze medal at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. At Perth Scorchers, she shares a dressing room with former New Zealand captain Sophie Devine and Australia batter Beth Mooney.
Sana believes the 2028 World Cup could boost women’s participation in the cricket-mad South Asian nation. “It’s a great step by the ICC that the [2028] World Cup is taking place in Pakistan, which will encourage more women players to come forward,” she said. “When more girls watch the World Cup at home, their parents will also offer them more opportunities to play the sport.” Pakistan has previously hosted two ICC Men’s ODI World Cups and the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy in 2025, but the 2028 event would mark its first ICC women’s tournament.
Source: www.aljazeera.com