Nashra Sandhu returns home on a motorcycle as PCB make no arrangements

It was a World Cup to forget for the Pakistan Women’s team. They failed to win a single match and finished bottom of the pile even as England, Australia, India and South Africa went through to the semi-finals. Nashra Sandhu, however, was one of the few positives for Pakistan from the tournament.

The 19-year-old spinner played in six of the seven matches claiming seven wickets. Her performance against India, in particular, was eye-catching. Sandhu picked up four wickets, including the wickets of Punam Raut, Deepti Sharma and the leading run-getter in Women’s ODIs, Mithali Raj, while giving away only 26 runs in her 10-over spell.

Lead by her inspiring spell, the Pakistani bowlers restricted India to only 169, a very much chase able target. However, like in almost every other match, the batswomen failed to apply themselves and crumbled under pressure. Eventually, they were bundled out for 74 runs.

No arrangements by PCB

Anyway, the team returned home after playing their final group stage match against Sri Lanka on Saturday. In general, the board makes arrangements for the players’ transport to their home after returning from any tour. However, apparently, no such arrangements were made for Sandhu.

On landing at the Lahore airport, the youngster was greeted by her family, who took her home on a motorcycle. a Pakistani news channel SAMAA TV has even released a video clip of the cricketer riding pillion with two of her family members on a motorcycle after leaving the airport.

It is understandable that women’s cricket does not attract a lot of sponsors. However, it is the responsibility of the board, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in this case, to look after its interests. Moreover, it is the least a board can do for a player who was the brightest star at the World Cup and could be a huge prospect in the future.