Fatima Sana, the 24-year-old captain of Pakistan's women's cricket team, believes her groundbreaking campaign with Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred will pave the way for more Pakistani women to compete in the competition. Selected as a wildcard pick for this year's tournament after going unsold at the original auction in March, Sana has made five appearances for the Edgbaston-based side, taking two wickets in a disappointing season for the franchise.
World Cup performances caught the eye
Sana's impressive performances at the Women's T20 World Cup, held in England for the first time since 2009, were what caught the Phoenix's attention. She scored an unbeaten 55 and took 3-16 in Pakistan's narrow two-wicket loss against South Africa. Pakistan won just one of their five matches, a 37-run victory over the Netherlands at Bristol in their penultimate group game, and were well beaten by powerhouses Australia and India, showing they still have some way to go in terms of development.
Reflecting on the tournament, 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. 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."
Honour to be a pioneer
Sana has enjoyed her first experience of playing in English cricket, saying: "It's been an honour for me and for Pakistan as well because the first usually means there are many more to come. 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."
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 aim to remove barriers such as cost, access to facilities and confidence.
Community engagement and support
The goal of the programme is to create more opportunities for people in urban communities to get active through cricket. 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."
KP Snacks, Official Partner of The Hundred, have launched the Everyone In Fund, in support of the ECB's Cricket Cities programme. To find out more, visit everyonein.co.uk.
