Pakistan women's team mindful of handshake row with India ahead of World Cup

Pakistan women’s team will cautiously monitor the situation as they expect India to repeat the ‘no handshake” policy in their highly anticipated match in Colombo on October 5.

India men’s team did not shake hands with Pakistan counterparts in all three matches of the Asia Cup and then refused to take the trophy from Asian Cricket Council President Mohsin Naqvi, also the interior minister of Pakistan.

Read: https://tribune.com.pk/story/2569540/bitter-end-for-pakistan-after-bright-start-in-asia-cup-final

The bitter issue came after a military conflict in May which plummeted the already sore relations between the two countries to their lowest point.

“Pakistan women team manager Hina Munawar has taken guidelines from Pakistan Cricket Board on what should be players’ stance as they expect Indian women players to repeat the same no handshake policy with Pakistan players,” sources said according to Telecom Asia Sport.

Ms. Munawar is the current manager of the Pakistan women's cricket team. She is a police officer who became the first female manager for the Pakistan men’s team in February this year, managing the Tri-Nation Series and the Champions Trophy.

Pakistan women have never beaten India in any of the 11 one-day internationals they have played so far, the last of which was in the 2022 World Cup at Mount Maunganui, New Zealand.

Pakistan women open their campaign against Bangladesh on October 2, with captain Fatima Sana highly optimistic her team will start their campaign on a winning note.
Pakistan qualified for the eight-team event after maintaining a 100 per cent win record in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier held in Lahore earlier this year. They beat Bangladesh in the Qualifiers during their all five-match winning streak.
Pakistan will play all their group-stage matches at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo. Should Pakistan qualify for the 29 October semi-final and the 2 November final, then both the matches will take place in Colombo.
This is as per an agreement signed in February this year that in case of Pakistan and India host a world event they will not travel to each other’s countries and play matches on a neutral venue.

Pakistan has a better winning ratio against Bangladesh with eight wins and seven losses in 16 ODIs, with one game ending in a tie. The two countries have met only once in an ODI World Cup in 2022. Bangladesh narrowly beat Pakistan by nine runs in a match when Sidra Amin notched a century.

Pakistan captain Fatima Sana hopes her team start on a winning note. “It will be important to have a winning start to the event,” Sana told Telecomasia.net. “Our preparations for the World Cup have been focused and purposeful. We have worked on the areas where improvement was needed, and it is encouraging to see the progress we have made.
“This process really started in the Qualifiers, where we had a strong campaign, winning all our matches to secure our place in this mega event.”

Sana believes practice sessions and warm-up match were good preparation. “The players have shown great commitment in training session here in Colombo. The conditions are quite similar to back home in Pakistan, which has helped the squad adjust quickly.

“It was unfortunate that the warm-up match against Sri Lanka was washed out due to rain, as it would have been valuable preparation against the home side, who know these conditions better than anyone. However, the game against South Africa gave us a good opportunity to test different combinations and gain more clarity.

“On a personal note, it was nice to spend some time at the crease and score runs, which was something I had been looking forward to after the last series. While there is always room to improve, I am pleased with how the squad has responded to challenges and the way we continue to grow as a unit.

“The World Cup is the biggest stage for us and we know that consistency, discipline and teamwork will be key to moving forward. Our focus is to compete hard in every match, execute our plans well and give our best to reach the knockout stage.

“Wearing the Pakistan shirt is an honour and every player in this squad understands the responsibility that comes with it. Our aim is to play positive cricket, rise to the big moments and make Pakistan proud, InshaAllah. We are all looking forward to the tournament.”