Do It for Fatima: Pakistan’s Pledge After Tragic News

After the heartbreaking death of Fatima Sana’s father, Muneeba Ali will lead Pakistan against Australia

Pakistan have rallied around Fatima Sana and vowed to honor their captain’s late father when they face Australia in the T20 World Cup on Friday.

Sana, who at 22 is the youngest captain in the 2024 tournament, took the first available flight to Karachi on Thursday after receiving the heartbreaking news of her father’s death.

Opener Muneeba Ali will lead the team in her place against Australia as Pakistan seek a historic first win over the tournament favorites to keep their own semi-final hopes alive.

“When we found out about Fatima, we were very sad,” Muneeba told reporters on Thursday.

“We will miss her as a captain and as a player, but we will try to win the game for her and her father.”

“She also said that we have to play well… it’s a sad moment for her and as a team we feel the same but we came here to win the game and we have to focus on that too.”

It was still unclear on Thursday whether Sana would return for Pakistan’s final group game against New Zealand on Monday.

Pakistan are currently third in Group A and need to win at least one, preferably both, of their remaining games to have a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals.

They started their tournament with a solid win over Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka and then suffered a six-wicket defeat against India, a setback to their finals goals.

All-rounder Sana, who replaced Nida Dar as captain ahead of the tournament, was outstanding for Pakistan in both matches, top scoring with a 20-ball 30 and picking up two crucial wickets, including that of Chamari Athapaththu Victory over Sri Lanka.

She also picked up two consecutive wickets against India to briefly derail their bitter rivals’ chase.

“Fatima is our captain and her batting and bowling skills are very good and she gives a good balance to our team,” Muneeba said.

“Their departure will make a difference in our combination, but we have the resources to cover all areas.”

“We look at each team’s strengths and prepare accordingly for the game.”

“We discussed a lot about how to approach the game and we will try to get good results tomorrow.”

“Australia is number one in the world…we don’t have much to lose.”

“If we win, it would be a historic moment for us to win against them.”

2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup

Australia’s Group A schedule

October 5th: beat Sri Lanka by six wickets

October 8th: beat New Zealand by 60 runs

October 11th: v Pakistan, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Oct 12 AEDT, 1am

October 13th: v India, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Oct 14 AEDT, 1am

final

October 17th: Semi-Final 1, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Oct 18 AEDT, 1am

October 18th: Semi-Final 2, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, October 19, 7:00pm AEDT

October 20th: Final, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, 1am, Oct 21 AEDT

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