 "Bismah Maroof")
After Ayeesha Nasheem's premature retirement, Pakistan women's team suffered another massive blow ahead of their Asian Games 2023 (Asiad 2023), scheduled in Hangzhou from September 23 to October 7.
Former Pakistani captain Bismah Maroof pulled out of the continental event because of the Asian Games "no travelling with children" policy.
Pakistan, thus, lost two of their leading performers before the Asian Games 2023.
Bismah declined to be part of the Asian Games squad after the organisers refused permission to participating nations to have athletes bring their babies for the Games.
The head of the Pakistan Cricket Board's women's cricket wing, Tania Mallick said that it was unfortunate the team would not have the services of Bismah at the Asian Games.
Tania confirmed that Bismah was not named in the squad as she would not have been able to travel with her daughter to the Games village due to the regulations in place.
More From This Section
Pakistan women's team performance in Asian Games history
Before the Asian Games, the Pakistan women's team will feature in the home series against South Africa comprising three T20Is and three ODIs (part of ICC Women's Championship 2022-25) in Karachi from September 1 to 14. The squad for the bilateral series will be announced in due course.
Pakistan have won gold medals in the last two editions of the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China in 2010 and Incheon, South Korea 2014, and will be aiming for a hat-trick when they feature in this year's event, scheduled to take place from September 19 to 26.
The event will be played in the T20 format.
Pakistan Squad for Asian Games 2023: Nida Dar (captain), Aliya Riaz, Anoosha Nasir, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Muneeba Ali, Najiha Alvi, Nashra Sundhu, Nataliya Parvaiz, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah and Umm-e-Hani.
