Pakistan batter Shawaal Zulfiqar’s father passes away in Sialkot

Pakistan women’s cricketer Shawaal Zulfiqar lost her father, Zulfiqar Ahmad, who passed away in Sialkot on Tuesday.

Shawaal, 20, is currently in Sri Lanka with the national team for the ICC Women’s World Cup, while her father was laid to rest in a suburban area of Sialkot.

The team’s players, coaching staff, and management have expressed their heartfelt condolences to Shawaal and her family.

It remains unclear whether she will continue to stay with the squad or return home.

Pakistan have endured a tough start to their World Cup campaign, losing their first three matches, including a heavy defeat against Australia in a recent encounter last week.

In that match, Beth Mooney’s brilliant century rescued Australia from 76-7 before they secured a 107-run win over Pakistan.

Earlier, Pakistan also lost to arch-rivals India by 88 runs while chasing a target of 248. In their opening group-stage match, Bangladesh defeated Pakistan by seven wickets.

Pakistan’s chances of qualification now largely depend on their next encounter, where they will face England on November 7 in Colombo.

Shawaal featured in Pakistan’s practice matches in Colombo but has not yet played in the tournament so far.