Pakistan women face West Indies women in first ODI today

LAHORE   -  Pakistan women’s team will aim to earn maximum points in the upcoming ICC Women’s Champi­onship 2022-25 fixture against the West Indies when the three-ODI series will commencetoday (Thurs­day) at the National Bank Stadium. 

The second and third ODI will be played on 21 and 23 April, re­spectively.Nida Dar will captain fifth-ranked Pakistan (16 points), while Hayley Matthews will skip­per the ninth-ranked West Indies (eight points). The matches on Thursday and Sunday will start at 0930 local time, while Tuesday’s game will start at 3.30pm. 

The series will be broadcast live on A Sports HD and Geo Super, and will also be live-streamed on ARY ZAP, Tamasha and Tapmad across the country. To facilitate fans, the entrance to the stadium is free and specta­tors can enjoy the game from the Javed Miandad Enclosure. 

Nida Dar, captain Pakistan women’s team, said: “We have worked really hard for the up­coming series, knowing the sig­nificance it holds for our journey for direct qualification to the ICC Women’s World Cup. The train­ing camp before the series was intense, and our coaches left no stone unturned in refining our skills and strengthening our fit­ness levels. 

“West Indies may have a good track record against us in ODIs, but we have been playing some excellent cricket lately, and we are eager to continue that trend in the upcoming series. Our goal is to build on our recent successes and deliver strong performances against a tough opponent.” 

Hayley Matthews, captain West Indies women’s team, said:“Pakistan are a dangerous opponent, especially on their home turf. They have a talented squad capable of turning the game around at any moment. We are up for the challenge, and we are determined to execute our game plan to come out on top. 

“The one-week training camp in Dubai provided us with the per­fect platform to refine our skills ahead of the all-important ICC Women’s Championship matches against Pakistan. As we have ar­rived in Karachi and had a good couple of sessions, our focus now shifts to adapting to the local con­ditions to do well in the series.”

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