Pakistan women’s cricket team captain Fatima Sana has signed a one-year contract with Australia’s Perth Scorchers for the upcoming Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) season.
The Australian club announced the signing on Saturday, making Fatima the second Pakistani cricketer to feature in the WBBL.
The 24-year-old all-rounder is set to play the first eight matches of the tournament’s 12th edition, which begins on October 29. Her stint could be extended if the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) allows her to remain in Australia beyond the initial period.
Fatima could play additional matches if she is granted an exemption from the Pakistan team’s training camp scheduled ahead of the national side’s expected tour of the West Indies in December.
Former Pakistan captain Nida Dar was the first Pakistani player to feature in the WBBL, representing Sydney Thunder in 11 matches during the 2019 season.
The Perth Scorchers deal will be Fatima’s second stint in a major overseas T20 competition this year. She previously represented Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred in England.
Expressing her excitement over joining the Scorchers, Fatima said she had watched the WBBL from Pakistan and often wondered what it would be like to compete in the tournament.
She described wearing the Scorchers jersey and playing in front of fans at the WACA Ground as a special moment, adding that the support from fans in Pakistan had made the opportunity even more memorable.
Fatima, a right-arm medium-fast bowler and middle-order batter, made her international debut in 2019 and has since established herself as one of Pakistan’s leading all-rounders.
Earlier this year, she made headlines by scoring a 15-ball half-century against Zimbabwe, setting a new world record for the fastest fifty in women’s T20 internationals.
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