Pakistan women’s cricket captain Fatima Sana has made history by becoming the first Pakistani woman to play in The Hundred tournament. Birmingham Phoenix selected the talented all-rounder as a wildcard pick in the draft on Thursday.
The 24-year-old from Karachi will join the Phoenix as their fourth overseas player. She replaces Australian all-rounder Lucy Hamilton, who was withdrawn to manage her workload. Sana impressed everyone with a strong performance against South Africa at Edgbaston. She scored an unbeaten 55 off 38 balls and took 3 wickets for 16 runs.
Sana will earn the tournament’s minimum salary of £15,000 (about PKR 5.6 million). However, her participation may be limited. Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka from July 23 to August 4 overlaps with The Hundred, which runs from July 21 to August 16.
This signing is a big milestone for Pakistan women’s cricket. Sana becomes the third Pakistani player in The Hundred this year, joining Usman Tariq at Birmingham Phoenix and Abrar Ahmed at Sunrisers Leeds.
Birmingham Phoenix head coach Ben Sawyer praised her match-winning ability with both bat and ball. Fans and experts see this as another step forward for women’s cricket in Pakistan on the global stage.
