Women's Cricket
Nida Dar appointed new captain of Pakistan women's cricket team
Veteran all-rounder Nida Dar was appointed as the new captain of the Pakistan Women's cricket team.
Nida Dar (Source: ICC)
Pakistan Cricket Board has decided to appoint veteran all-rounder Nida Dar as the captain of the Pakistan Women's cricket team.
Nida will be replacing Bismah Maroof who stepped down from the captaincy role after the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023.
Along with this Mark Coles has also been confirmed as the new head coach, a role he had occupied previously between 2017 and 2019. In another change, former Test cricketer Saleem Jaffar was named as the chair of the Women’s Selection Committee.
Having played 130 T20Is and 99 ODIs, Nida is one of the most experienced players in Pakistan’s camp and is the leading wicket-taker in women’s T20Is.
“I want to congratulate Nida, Mark, and Saleem on their appointments. Nida is a seasoned and highly-respected player, Mark has a proven track record in women’s cricket coaching and Saleem brings with him a wealth of international experience and knowledge,” PCB Chairman Najam Sethi said in his statement to media.
Pakistan has a busy schedule coming up with several bilateral series lined up. Between August 2023 to July 2024, the Pakistan women’s team will play five bilateral cricket series comprising a total of 15 ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25 ODIs.
There are also 17 T20Is lined up making it adequate preparation for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in 2024 and the ICC Women’s World Cup in India in 2025.
Nida Dar will have a huge responsibility on her shoulders in the upcoming challenging period.
"I am honored to have been appointed as the captain of the Pakistan women’s cricket team. It is a huge responsibility, and I am excited to lead the team in the upcoming events. I want to thank the PCB for entrusting me with this responsibility and will do my best to take the team forward,” Nida said in the press release by PCB.
She further thanked Bismah Maroof for her services and hoped to continue her legacy ahead.
“As a captain, my objective remains to inspire and mentor the young players to become quality cricketers. I will be extremely satisfied and content if we first break and then cement our place in the upper half of the ICC Women’s Championship before slowly working our way into the top three,” Nida said.
