Century to remember

In a spectacular feat, Muneeba Ali has become the first Pakistani female cricketer to score a century in the Women’s T20 World Cup. She has also joined the club of the six world cup centurions. Congratulations have been pouring in not just from Pakistan but around the world in praise of her world class knock against the Ireland side that Pakistan managed to demolish by 70 runs — a commendable comeback after the disappointing loss against India in the first match.

Muneeba’s fiery ton is a tremendous personal milestone, hopefully giving her the push necessary to pave a successful career. It will also provide a strong boost to women’s cricket in Pakistan and motivate other females to pursue cricket as a profession. If little efforts made my PCB are reaping such results, then imagine what our girls in green could accomplish given proper resources and training. The emerging talent in the squad is now more evident than ever and the management needs to invest more by provide professional training and hold overseas series so that the team gets the necessary exposure to perform at the top most level. While the match against Ireland showed tremendous potential and all-round performances with the bat and ball, there is still a long way to go as Pakistan stand third in the table — after England and India who are first and second respectively.

Now that heads are held high, the team need to take this momentum forward in the upcoming matches against the tough West Indies and England if they are to qualify from the group stages. This cohort of players has shown that talent, dedication and hardwork can produce results even when the backs are against the wall. We wish them the best of luck for the rest of the tournament.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 18^th, 2023.

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