'I believed in myself and backed myself to stay calm' - Fatima Sana elated on leading Pakistan to winning start

Not only has the men's side of Pakistan been facing challenges of late, Pakistan Women have been on the receiving end as well. Ever since October 2023 and ahead of the Women's T20 World Cup, the Women in Green only managed to win seven of the 21 games they featured in. Not only that, the ever-experienced Nida Dar was stripped off her role as skipper post the side's campaign at the Women's Asia Cup in Sri Lanka.

However, the freshly-instated captain, Fatima Sana, led the charge which fuelled Pakistan Women to get over the line in their tournament-opener against Sri Lanka Women in Sharjah on Thursday, October 3. She was understandably brimming with joy in the post-match ceremony, and praised her team members as well as the management for the 31-run victory. 

"Very excited, thanks to the team and the management. All credit goes to them. I believed in myself and backed myself to stay calm. We know Chamari is a good player, and we knew if we got the early wicket, then we can make a good start. The whole management gave me a lot of confidence. We wanted to get a lot of runs on the board, and we wanted to achieve the maximum target we could," stated Sana while receiving the Player of the Match award for her brilliant all-round performance.

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I will ask her how she is now: Sana

Notably, Diana Baig seemed to have pulled her right calf while running in for the very second delivery of the run-chase. The physio was out on the field immediately. Baig, however, limped off the field in noticeable discomfort.

Sana, who put herself on to fill in for Baig, showed concern for the right-arm medium pacer. 

"She was injured and I was nervous because she is one of the main bowlers. So, I had to come in and bowl. I will ask her how she is now. We need to build on this momentum and win as many games as possible," added Sana.

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It was a truly exceptional performance from the skipper. First, she managed to rescue her side out of a rut by scoring a much-needed 30 off 20 deliveries. With the ball, she delivered an economical performance with figures of 2/10 in 2.5 overs. Sana also became the second-youngest skipper at 22 years, 10 months, and 25 days to register a win at the mega-event, trailing Meg Lanning who holds the record at 21 years, 11 months, and 29 days.