Pakistan appoint Nida Dar as new skipper of women's cricket team

ISALAMABAD: Pakistan have decided to replace Bismah Maroof who stepped down from the captaincy role after the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023. Bismah has been replaced by veteran all-rounder Nida Dar.

Along with this Mark Coles has also been confirmed as the new head coach, a role he had occupied previously between 2017 and 2019. In another change, former Test cricketer Saleem Jaffar was named as the chair of the Women's Selection Committee. Having played 130 T20Is and 99 ODIs, Nida is one of the most experienced players in Pakistan's camp and is the leading wicket-taker in women's T20Is.

"I want to congratulate Nida, Mark and Saleem on their appointments. Nida is a seasoned and highly-respected player, Mark has a proven track record in women's cricket coaching and Saleem brings with him wealth of international experience and knowledge," PCB Chairman Najam Sethi said as quoted by ICC.

"We are confident this combination will not only attract and help young cricketers to fulfil their dreams of becoming top-quality international cricketers, but will also ensure the side as a whole emulates their previous performances and achievements. I remain confident under their supervision and guile of Nida, Mark and Saleem, Pakistan women's cricket will grow and flourish," Najam Sethi continued.

Pakistan have a busy schedule coming up with several bilateral series lined up. Between August 2023 to July 2024, the Pakistan women's team will play five bilateral cricket series comprising a total of 15 ICC Women's Championship 2022-25 ODIs.

There are also 17 T20Is lined up making it adequate preparation for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in 2024 and the ICC Women's World Cup in India in 2025. Nida Dar will have a huge responsibility on her shoulders in the upcoming challenging period.

"I am honoured to have been appointed as the captain of the Pakistan women's cricket team. It is a huge responsibility, and I am excited to lead the team in the upcoming events. I want to thank the PCB for entrusting me with this responsibility and will do my best to take the team forward," Nida said as quoted by ICC.

"I also want to thank Bismah Maroof for her services as the captain of the team. She has done a fantastic job, and I hope to continue her legacy and lead the team with the same passion and commitment," Nida said.

After thanking the former skipper Nida reflected on the challenges that lie ahead of her. "The upcoming season of women's cricket is going to be a tough one. But we are fortunate to have some young exciting talent in our pool of players, which I am confident will significantly improve during the course and also help the side to produce strong performances," Nida said.

"As a captain, my objective remains to inspire and mentor these young players to become quality cricketers. I will be extremely satisfied and content if we first break and then cement our place in the upper half of the ICC Women's Championship before slowly working our way into the top three," Nida said.