Replacement named as Rameen Shamim ruled out of Pakistan squad for South Africa series

KARACHI: Pakistan Women’s cricket team has confirmed a change to their squad for the upcoming South Africa tour, with off-spinning all-rounder Umm-e-Hani replacing Rameen Shamim, who has been ruled out due to injury. 

The announcement was made by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday.

Rameen sustained a dislocation of the left-hand thumb IPJ during a training session at the National Bank Stadium, Karachi. She is expected to be sidelined for four to six weeks and will begin her rehabilitation immediately.

Umm-e-Hani, who was recently appointed Pakistan Women’s ‘A’ captain for the ACC Women’s Asia Cup Rising Stars, will now join the senior squad.

Omaima Sohail has been named as her replacement in the ‘A’ squad. Hafsa Khalid has also been appointed captain of Pakistan Women’s ‘A’ for the 20-over tournament in Bangkok, Thailand.

The Pakistan Women’s T20I squad will depart for South Africa on February 7, while the ‘A’ squad will leave for Bangkok on February 10. 

Fatima Sana will continue to lead the national side in both formats as Pakistan intensifies preparations for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled for June.

Several players, including Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Zafar, Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali, Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin and Tasmia Rubab, have been named in both squads. 

Uncapped batter Saira Jabeen and right-arm fast bowler Humna Bilal have earned their maiden call-ups to the T20I side.

Opening batters Ayesha Zafar and Gull Feroza, along with left-arm pacer Tasmia Rubab and wicketkeeper-batter Najiha Alvi, have been included in the 15-member ODI squad after missing out on selection for the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup. 

Diana Baig, Najiha Alvi, Sadaf Shamas and Syeda Aroob Shah feature exclusively in the ODI squad, while Humna Bilal, Saira Jabeen, Tuba Hassan and Eyman Fatima have been named only in the T20I side.

The team’s mentor, Wahab Riaz, will be supported by an experienced coaching staff including Imran Farhat as batting coach, Umaid Asif as fast-bowling coach, Abdur Rehman as spin-bowling coach and Abdul Majeed as fielding coach.

The pre-series training camp will commence on Sunday, February 1, at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre in Karachi.

The three T20Is will be held in Potchefstroom, Benoni and Kimberley from February 10 to 16, with all matches scheduled as day-night fixtures. 

Pakistan will then play a 50-over warm-up match in Kimberley ahead of the ODI series, which will take place in Bloemfontein, Centurion, and Durban from February 22 to March 1. 

The second ODI will be a day-night fixture, while the warm-up match, first ODI and third ODI will be day games.

Pakistan Women are returning to South Africa for a bilateral series for the first time since January 2021, when they played a three-match ODI series in Durban. 

The team last toured the country in February 2023 for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, playing matches in Cape Town and Paarl.

Pakistan Women’s T20I Squad:

Fatima Sana (c), Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Zafar, Eyman Fatima, Gull Feroza (wk), Humna Bilal, Muneeba Ali (wk), Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Umm-e-Hani, Sadia Iqbal, Saira Jabeen, Sidra Amin, Tasmia Rubab and Tuba Hassan.

Pakistan Women’s ODI Squad:

Fatima Sana (c), Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Zafar, Diana Baig, Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali (wk), Najiha Alvi (wk), Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Umm-e-Hani, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah and Tasmia Rubab.