Pakistan Captain Bismah Maroof Vows to Stick to Game Plan in Upcoming ODI Series Against Australia

Jan 15, 2023

Pakistan Captain Bismah Maroof Vows to Stick to Game Plan in Upcoming ODI Series Against Australia Image

Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof said her team will try to stick to their plans ahead of their ODI series against current ODI World Cup holders Australia, which begins on Monday at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane.

Following the first ODI of the series, the second ODI will be played on January 18 at the same venue, followed by the third ODI on January 21 at the North Sydney Oval in Sydney. The ODI series will be followed by three T20Is in Sydney, Hobart, and Canberra from January 24 to 29.

"We have prepared well and will try to carry out our plans in order to achieve better results in the series. We have performed admirably in the ICC Women's Championship matches thus far, and the upcoming series against Australia is also crucial. In the series, we will try to stick to our plans "Bismah told PCB Digital.

The women's team trained in Lahore and Karachi before travelling to Australia, where they also competed in intra-squad matches. They have had extensive practise sessions since arriving in Brisbane last week, culminating in a 50-over match against the Governor General's XI on Friday at Allan Border Field.

Even though the tourists lost the game, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, and Nida Dar demonstrated their ball skills, and Bismah scored a half-century. Bismah seemed optimistic about her team's chances in Australia.

"We had some good practise sessions at the venue. The pitches here bounce differently than in Pakistan, and it took us some time to adjust to the bounce. We were fortunate to be able to play a practise game at the same venue as our first two series matches. This will aid in becoming acquainted with the conditions."

"The fast bowlers bowled well in the practise match and will play an important role in these conditions. Spinners, on the other hand, must adjust their line and length as needed. The batters must establish themselves on the wicket; once established, it will be simple for them to score runs."

Australia leads the ICC Women's One-Day International (ODI) rankings, with Pakistan in ninth place. In the ICC Women's Championship cycle 2022-25, Pakistan is second in the table behind India, having won five of their six matches, while Australia will play their first match of the Championship on Monday against Pakistan.

Pakistan will be eyeing to carry forward the momentum after they clinched a 2-1 win over Sri Lanka in Karachi in June last year and later achieved a 3-0 sweep over Ireland in Lahore in November 2022.