The 2025 Women’s World Cup is inching closer and naturally, teams will be doing whatever they can to get themselves in the right frame of mind for the big tournament. For Pakistan captain Fatima Sana, it is legendary former India captain MS Dhoni who has served as an inspiration as she prepares to lead her side in a World Cup for the first time.
“It is natural to be a little nervous initially when captaining in a big tournament like the World Cup, but I take inspiration from Mahendra Singh Dhoni as a captain,” Sana told PTI. Dhoni led the Indian men’s team to victory in the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2011 World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy and is widely rated as one of the greatest captains of all time in the sport. He is also an iconic figure in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he captained Chennai Super Kings to a record five titles and is the only player to be still active in the league since its first season in 2008.
“I have seen his matches as India and CSK captain. His on-field decision-making, calmness and the way he backs his players, there is a lot to learn from that. When I got the captaincy, I thought that I have to become like Dhoni. I also watched his interviews and got to learn a lot,” said Sana.
Pakistan have played the Women’s ODI World Cup five times (1997, 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2022) but went without a single win in 1997, 2013 and 2017. In 2022, their only victory was against the West Indies in Hamilton, and the team finished last after losing all the other matches.
The jinx will be broke this time
All-rounder Sana , who has scored 397 runs and taken 45 wickets in 34 ODIs, is confident that the jinx will be broken this time around because the young players are aware their performance will decide the future of women’s cricket in the country.
“This time, the jinx will definitely be broken because the young players know how important this tournament is for Pakistan women’s cricket. We will not think about the past. My goal is to take the team to the semifinals,” she added.
“In Pakistan, girls have started playing cricket in schools and international matches are being telecast live. ICC has also taken a good initiative by increasing the prize money for the Women’s World Cup, which will inspire budding players in Pakistan. But there is still a barrier which we have to break through this tournament,” she said.
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Pakistan begin their World Cup campaign on October 2 against Bangladesh before taking on India on October 5. Pakistan play three ODIs at home against South Africa as preparation for the tournament, which will be hosted by India.
However, Pakistan themselves will be playing all their seven league games in Colombo, followed by the semi-final and final as well if they make it that far. One of the two semi-finals will be played in Colombo regardless of their results. The second semi-final will be played in Navi Mumbai. The final will be held either in Colombo or Navi Mumbai on November 2.
