LAHORE: After conclusion of the ICC Women’s Championship ODI series, the focus has now shifted to the shorter format of the game with Pakistan and England women locking horns in three T20 Internationals at Kinrara Oval in Malaysia from Tuesday.

With the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 in Australia just two months away, the series provides both the teams an opportunity to iron out their permutations and combinations, said the information made available by the Pakistan Cricket Board on Monday.

After having won the ODI series comprehensively, England enter the series with their tails up. Despite having lost a three-match T20I series at home against Australia Women 2-1, England, ranked second in the ICC Women’s T20I rankings, have had an impressive 2019 winning eight of the 10 matches.

The Heather Knight-led side registered sweeps over India women and Sri Lanka women earlier in the year, before beating West Indies women 1-0 at home.

Pakistan, having made three changes in their squad from the one that played the three one-dayers, will hope that the change in format also brings a change in their fortunes while taking inspiration from their 3-0 series win at home against Bangladesh women in October.

The Bismah Maroof-led team, seventh in the ICC women’s T20 rankings, have won six of their 11 matches this year and enter the series after securing a 3-0 whitewash against Bangladesh.

Pakistan started off 2019 by losing to the West Indies women in Karachi 2-1 as the second match of the series was won by the West Indies in the Super Over. In their second series of the year, they were beaten by South Africa 3-2 in a five-T20 series.

Pakistan and England have come face-to-face in the format on 10 occasions in which England came out victorious nine times, while Pakistan won the 2013 encounter at Loughborough.

Teams (from):

PAKISTAN: Bismah Maroof (captain), Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Ayesha Zafar, Aroob Shah, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Irum Javed, Javeria Khan, Nahida Khan, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Rameen Shamim, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Nawaz (wicket-keeper)

ENGLAND: Heather Knight (captain), Amy Jones (wicket-keeper), Anya Shrubsole, Danni Wyatt, Fran Wilson, Freya Davies, Kate Cross, Katherine Brunt, Kirstie Gordon, Lauren Winfield, Mady Villiers, Nat Sciver, Sarah Glenn, Sophie Ecclestone, Tammy Beaumont

Series schedule:

Dec 17: First T20, Kinrara Oval

Dec 19: Second T20, Kinrara Oval

Dec 20: Third T20, Kinrara Oval.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2019