Fatima Sana hopes groundbreaking campaign in The Hundred can inspire Pakistani women

Fatima Sana believes she will be the first of many Pakistani women to play in the Hundred following her groundbreaking campaign with Birmingham Phoenix.

The 24-year-old all-rounder – who is the captain of her country – was a wildcard pick for this year's competition for the Phoenix, having gone unsold at the original auction in March. Her performances at this summer's Women's T20 World Cup are what caught the franchise's eye, with her making an unbeaten 55 and taking 3-16 in Pakistan's narrow loss against South Africa.

Advertisement

Sana has gone on to make five appearances so far for Birmingham, taking two wickets in what unfortunately has turned out to be a disappointing year for the Edgbaston-based side. Sana has enjoyed her first experience of playing in English cricket, however, saying: "It's been an honour for me and for Pakistan as well because the first usually means there are many more to come.

BirminghamLive campaign inspires set-up of vital baby bank

DWP benefits update for people in work who have anxiety or depression

"Since I've been here, there are a lot of people back home that one of their players has been playing in The Hundred, and there are a lot more players who can come and join this competition, so that could be helpful.

"I hope I can inspire more Pakistani women to play in The Hundred because when you play in cricket around the world, a lot of people know you around cricket. Everyone wants to play cricket back home and what I really want is for more of us to come and play cricket around the world."

Advertisement

In what was the first Women's T20 World Cup to be held in England since 2009, Pakistan won just one of their five matches – a 37-run victory over the Netherlands at Bristol in their penultimate group game.

While they gave South Africa a fright in eventually going down by two wickets, Pakistan was well beaten by powerhouses Australia and India, showing they still have some way to go, in terms of development.

On the tournament experience, Sana said: "It was enjoyable playing cricket in England because the fans are crazy and the crowds are good, so it was a very good challenge.

Advertisement

"I really enjoyed the crowds here because wherever we went there were Pakistan fans.

"I hope we will start to get the same support in Pakistan as well because it would boost us to have friends and family members in the crowd.

"I learned a lot watching players from the other teams and women's cricket is developing very fast, so it was great to get the level of support we had, and I would love to have crowds like that in Pakistan as well."

Advertisement

Sana was speaking in support of KP Snacks' Everyone In Fund, which backs the ECB's Cricket Cities programme to remove barriers and create opportunities for participation.

A community cricket session for local women and girls in Aston, Birmingham, celebrated the launch of the fund, which is a £750,000 investment over three years that will support community-led projects across England and Wales that will aim to remove barriers such as cost, access to facilities and confidence.

The goal of the programme is to create more opportunities for people in urban communities to get active through cricket.

Advertisement

Sana said: "It's been an enjoyable experience for me, being able to play alongside kids and their family members.

"It's the first time I've had the chance to do that here in England, so it was good for me to really enjoy the experience."

Her Birmingham Phoenix team-mate Alana King added: "It's been great to meet people from different backgrounds.

"I've met women who have never played cricket before and are now giving it a crack and I've been teaching them to bowl."

Advertisement

Click here to read article