Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has on Monday (December 14) confirmed the Pakistan women’s national cricket team’s tour of South Africa in January 2021.
Pakistan and South Africa Women will play six limited-overs games – three ODIs and three T20Is in Durban and Pietermaritzburg from 20 January to 3 February 2020. The upcoming South Africa tour will be the first official assignment for Pakistan head coach David Hemp and bowling coach Arshad Khan.
Pakistan women’s national selection committee has invited 27 women cricketers for a training and preparation camp, starting December 20 December at the Hanif Mohammad High-Performance Centre in Karachi to prepare and select the best available squad for the tour, as well as, continue the Women’s High-Performance Camp and the National Triangular T20 Women’s Cricket Championship.
PCB said in a release: “In consultation and discussions with Cricket South Africa, the series has been finalized to ensure women's cricket continues to build on the momentum and successes following the trailblazing ICC Women's Championship 2017-2020, ICC Women's World Cup 2017 and the ICC Women's T20 World Cups 2018 and 2020.”
The release further reads: “This additional series has also been organized to help both Pakistan and South Africa prepare for the upcoming assignments, in particular Pakistan, who will feature in the ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier in July 2021 for the event proper to be held in New Zealand in early 2022.
South Africa, along with world champions England, Australia, India and hosts New Zealand, have already qualified for the World Cup after securing top positions in the ICC Women's Championship 2017-20.”
Meanwhile, Pakistan Women's chief selector and head of the women's cricket, Urooj Mumtaz said: “South Africa are ranked above us, both in the ODI and T20I formats and, as such, I am sure this series will go a long way in not only assisting us to further improve our standards but also prepare for June's ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier 2021 as we aim to finish in the top three and progress to the event proper in early 2022 in New Zealand.”
Noteworthy, Durban will host the first ODI on January 20 and the final T20I on February 3 under the lights. The second ODI will also be held in Durban on January 23 while Pietermaritzburg will host the third ODI and first two T20Is of the tour on January 26, 29, and 31 respectively.
It will be Pakistan women's second tour to South Africa within 18 months having last played three ICC Women's Championship ODIs, which ended in a 1-1 draw, in May 2019, followed by a five-match T20I series, which the Proteas women clinched 3-2.
(With PTI/ANI Inputs)
