With the build up to the ICC Women ODI World Cup taking place in India, one big news has attracted attention. The Pakistan women cricket team has also chosen not to attend the opening of the tournament in Guwahati on political grounds between the two countries.
Pakistan skips World Cup opening ceremony
Ahead of the first match between India and Sri Lanka, the event was supposed to feature a cultural performance featuring the Indian singer, Shreya Ghoshal. But as Geo Super, a Pakistani outlet, says, neither captain Fatima Sana nor any other Pakistani will be present at the opening of the world cup show.
Instead, Pakistan will train in Sri Lanka where the team will be located during the tournament. The tensions between the two countries once again have overflowed into the realm of cricket, as the team is unable to take part in what should have been an exciting start to the ICC Women’s World Cup.
ICC Women’s World Cup schedule impacted
This is following a policy understanding between India and Pakistan which was reached earlier this year. The agreement says that none of the sides will cross borders in ICC tournaments within the next three years. Such actions have directly affected the time and venue selection of some of the largest cricketing tournaments.
India has not visited Pakistan since 2008 and the historic political standoff has left them with little time to enjoy themselves in sporting activities. In the past, India had refused to travel to the champions trophy in Pakistan on the grounds of geopolitics. The same has now been applied to the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 as well.
Pakistan to play in Sri Lanka venues
To make participation fair, the matches of Pakistan in the world cup will be played at a neutral venue. All their matches have been decided to be hosted in R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. This place will be their base throughout the whole tournament.
This is also how it is organized in the knockout stages. In case Pakistan reaches semi-finals or final, the games will be held in Colombo. The semi-final will be held on October 29, with the grand final set on November 2, with Sri Lanka as the back-up host country.
Pakistan squad for World Cup campaign
These women of Pakistan will be participating in the ICC Women world cup with a well balanced team despite off field issues. The head of the side will be Fatima Sana and her deputy will be Muneeba Ali Siddiqui. The team has both a mixture of veteran players and young players who are hoping to make a difference.
The entire team consists of Aliya Razi, Diana Baig, Eyman Fatima, Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Omaima Sohail, Rameen Shamim, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz as wicket-keeper and Syeda Aroob Shah. Now all eyes will focus on the way the team will adjust to playing off the main stage in India.
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