LAHORE: The Pakistan women’s cricket team will go into the Asian Games depleted by the absence of former captain Bismah Maroof and hard-hitting batter Ayesha Naseem from the squad, which was announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday.

While seasoned batter Bismah has pulled out of the Games due to its regulations not allowing her to accompany her infant daughter to the athletes’ village, 18-year-old Ayesha has retired from the sport due to “personal reasons”, according to the PCB.

Bismah and Ayesha’s absence is a significant blow to Pakistan’s bid to complete a hat-trick of gold medals at the Asian Games after winning the cricket titles in the 2010 and 2014 editions in Guangzhou and Incheon respectively.

In Bismah, Pakistan will miss a reliable middle-order batter while it will be difficult for the Nida Dar-led side to replace Ayesha, who had emerged as an able pinch hitter in her recent outings for the team.

According to recent media reports, Ayesha has decided to give up cricket due to “religious reasons” but there are also speculations she might have retired after getting a marriage proposal where her in-laws were not in favour of her playing cricket.

PCB’s head of women’s cricket Tania Mallick said Bismah’s withdrawal from the Games was unfortunate, while also confirming Ayesha’s retirement decision.

“The team is unfortunate to miss out on the services of Bismah Maroof for this event as she would not have been able to accompany her infant daughter to the Games village due to the regulations in place,” she said in a statement. “We also wish the best of luck to Ayesha Naseem in her future endeavours as the PCB understands and respects her decision to quit the game for personal reasons.”

Pakistan have included uncapped youngsters Anoosha Nasir, a left-arm spinner, and batter Shawaal Zulfiqar, rewarding both for their strong performances in the ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup and the Emerging Teams Asia Cup.

The 15-player squad also features Diana Baig who makes a return to international cricket after recovering from a finger injury that she sustained in the third and final One-Day International against Aust­r­alia in January this year.

“As captain, I am confident in the abilities of my teammates, both the experienced ones and the exciting young talents,” said Pakistan captain Nida.

The Asian Games are set to be held in Hangzhou in September-October. Pakistan, as per the ICC T20I rankings and tournament’s rules, will feature in the event from the quarter-finals, scheduled to take place from Sept 22-24.

The semi-finals will be played on Sept 25, while the final will take place on Sept 26.

Before the Games, Paki­s­­ta­nwill feature in a home series against South Africa, comprising three T20Is and three ODIs in Karachi from Sept 1 to 14.

Squad: Nida Dar (captain), Aliya Riaz, Anoosha Nasir, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Muneeba Ali, Najiha Alvi, Nashra Sundhu, Nataliya Parvaiz, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah, Umm-e-Hani—

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2023