LAHORE: Saira Jabeen, a 25-year-old all-rounder hailing from the Kalash tribe of Chitral in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province made her international debut for Pakistan in the opening women’s T20 game against Zimbabwe.
Saira, who is currently enrolled at Conard College in Lahore, has already established herself in local cricket by playing for Strikers Women’s team. But in her debut international game, she could only score five runs in five deliveries.
Despite not performing well on the debut, her selection for Pakistan has been hailed as a milestone for the Kalash tribe and women’s cricket in Pakistan.
Explosive Pakistan women outclass Zimbabwe in first T20
Earlier, Pakistan Women’s cricket team defeated Zimbabwe by 153 runs in the first T20 International against Zimbabwe.
The Zimbabwean side was bundled out for just 84 runs in 18.2 overs while chasing a daunting target of 238 runs. Pakistan’s bowling attack was led by Fatima Sana, who claimed three wickets, while Saadia Iqbal and Natalia Pervez took two wickets each. Rameen Shamim also chipped in with a crucial wicket.
Earlier, after winning the toss in Karachi, Pakistan opted to bat first and posted an imposing total of 237 for 5 in their 20 overs. The innings was highlighted by Ayesha Zafar’s explosive century and Alia Riaz’s aggressive knock, which left the Zimbabwean bowlers struggling. To win the opening match of the series, Zimbabwe needed a challenging 238 at a required run rate of 11.85 per over.
Ayesha Zafar dominated the innings with an unbeaten 102 runs off just 47 deliveries, while Alia Riaz contributed 48, Gul Firoza added 37, and captain Fatima Sana chipped in with 21. Zimbabwe’s bowling efforts were led by Nomvelo Sibanda with two wickets, and Michelle Mavunga and Precious Marange claimed one wicket each.
