Meet Pakistan cricketer, who started on Karachi streets with tape-ball, now leading at ICC Women’s T20 World Cup

New Delhi: When Fatima Sana made her debut for Pakistan in 2019, little did she knew that she would be leading the side in the T20 World Cup five years later. Sana’s first tryst with Pakistan captaincy came when she led the side against New Zealand in the second ODI in Christchurch in 2023 in the absence of then-skipper Nida Dar.

Riding on Sana’s valiant 90 not out off 104 balls, Pakistan posted 221 but eventually lost the game. Three days later Pakistan registered their maiden away win over New Zealand in women’s cricket under Sana. The country found a new young bold leader in Sana.

Fast forward to 10 months, Sana will be leading Pakistan in the Women’s T20 World Cup in Dubai and Sharjah. The 22-year-old cried when she heard the news for the first time. “When the Pakistan Cricket Board spoke to me about taking on the captaincy (in August), my entire career flashed before me,” Sana was quoted as saying to Al Jazeera.

Sana’s rise in international cricket has been quite humbling. She made her debut as a 17-year-old and gradually transformed herself as one of the leaders in Pakistan bowling attack. She has played 82 matches (ODIs and T20Is) so far, taking 84 wickets – the most by a Pakistani pacer since debut.

Going to back to roots

Like many Pakistan international cricketers, Sana’s journey started on the streets of Karachi in early 2000s with tape-ball. Tape-ball is a tennis ball wrapped in electric tapes to increase speed and swing. Youngest of five siblings, Sana was inspired by her brother Shehroz Sana-ul-Haq, an aspiring cricketer who went away from the game in pursuit of stable profession.

In fact it was Shehroz who taught Sana the art of fast bowling before enrolling her at a local cricket academy. At the age of 11, Sana was grabbed eyeballs with her pace bowling at a zonal a zonal women’s cricket tournament. “The girls were stunned and lifted me [in celebration] when I took my first wicket,” Sana recalled. Although a few coaches advised Sana to take up spin bowling, the right-arm pacer, a James Anderson and Shoaib Akhtar fan, stood her ground with fast bowling.

Sana played at the U-21 level at the age of 13. Two years later Sana entered the Pakistan women’s domestic cricket when then Pakistan captain Sana Mir picked the youngster for a T20 championship. She impressed everyone with seven wickets in the tournament for the eventual champions, which paved her way into the national side for the first time in 2019.

Since then it was no looking back for Sana. In UAE, Pakistan have a tough task at hand as the Women in Green have been placed alongside heavyweights India, Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Group A. The top two teams advance into the next round.

Pakistan start their Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign against Sri Lanka on October 3 followed by matches against India (October 6), Australia (October 11) and New Zealand (October 14).