Pakistan women's cricket team captain Fatima Sana is taking inspiration from India's World Cup-winning captain MS Dhoni and wants to copy his "Captain Cool" image as she gears up to captain her side in the forthcoming 50-over World Cup later this month.
The Women's World Cup, which starts on September 30, is jointly being hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Pakistan will host all its matches in Sri Lanka, as agreed between the BCCI and PCB. Pakistan, which remained unbeaten during the April qualifiers, will make their World Cup start against Bangladesh at Colombo on October 2.
“It is natural to be a little nervous initially when captaining in a big tournament like the World Cup, but I take inspiration from Mahendra Singh Dhoni as a captain,” Fatima told PTI Bhasha in an interview ahead of the World Cup.
"I have seen his matches as India and CSK captain. His on-field decision-making, calmness and the way he backs his players, there is a lot to learn from that. When I got the captaincy, I thought that I have to become like Dhoni. I also watched his interviews and got to learn a lot," she said.
While Dhoni quit international cricket on August 15, 2020, Fatima debuted in ODIs vs South Africa on May 6, 2019. Pakistan have played the Women's ODI World Cup five times (1997, 2009, 2013, 2017, and 2022), but did not win a match in 1997, 2013, and 2017. In 2022, their only win was vs the West Indies in Hamilton, ending last after losing the other matches.
All-rounder Fatima, who has played 397 runs and 45 wickets in 34 ODIs, believes the team's luck will change this year. "This year, the jinx will surely be broken because the young players are aware of how much this tournament matters for Pakistan women's cricket. We won't look towards the past. My aim is to lead the team to the semifinals," she said.
She also pointed out the increased exposure of women's cricket in Pakistan. “This time, the jinx will definitely be broken because the young players know how important this tournament is for Pakistan women’s cricket. We will not think about the past. My goal is to take the team to the semifinals,” she added.
“In Pakistan, girls have started playing cricket in schools and international matches are being telecast live. ICC has also taken a good initiative by increasing the prize money for the Women’s World Cup, which will inspire budding players in Pakistan. But there is still a barrier which we have to break through this tournament,” she said.
Fatima stressed the need to alter mindsets concerning women's cricket in the nation: "In our country, women's cricket is not seen as a career option. But if we play well, it will make a huge difference. Our effort will be to inspire parents in Pakistan to encourage their girls to make a career in sports".
She thinks that the bowlers will be the decisive ones, while batting has also improved greatly in the last year. “We have top-class bowlers in the team and spinners will be our trump card. We will depend more on bowling than batting but in the last one year, we have worked a lot on batting and we will get results,” she replied.
Continuing the momentum of the qualifiers and building up with a three-match series against South Africa are key to Fatima's plan. “The team is in good rhythm and after the good performance in the qualifiers, everyone’s morale is high. More or less the same players are in the team who played in the qualifiers. This is the first World Cup for six players and they are very excited.” she added.
Working currently at Lahore, the team has played only domestic cricket after the qualifiers, but Fatima is content with the preparations. "We had played matches among ourselves in domestic cricket. Before the tournament, we will play a series with South Africa in which we will try to prepare the team combination. We would like the players to play naturally without the pressure of the World Cup," she said.
“My favourite team is Australia. It is difficult to predict the semifinalists but India’s performance has been very good in the last few years. They have very experienced players like Jemimah (Rodrigues), Smriti (Mandhana) and Harmanpreet (Kaur) but we will not focus on any one player.”
She also admitted that India, being the hosts, will have extra pressure but the advantage of home support. “India have never won the World Cup and being the host, there will be pressure to win. But along with this, the presence of home fans also boosts the morale. It depends on the team how it takes it.”
Ellyse Perry fan Fatima started playing street cricket with her brothers at the age of 11 in Karachi. Her father passed away during the T20 World Cup last year but she sacrificed personal sorrow for national responsibility. Fatima's resolve is reminiscent of cricketing legends: “My father dreamed of watching me play in the World Cup. I went back to play to fulfil his wish. I knew that Virat also did the same.”
