Zimbabwe tour gives us crucial match practice for women's WC qualifiers: Javeria Khan
Feb 09, 2021
Harare [Zimbabwe], February 9 : Pakistan women's skipper Javeria Khan feels the series against Zimbabwe will give the visiting side the required crucial match practice for the World Cup Qualifiers slated to take place later this year.
Pakistan is gearing up the ICC women's cricket World Cup Qualifiers as they currently lock horns with Zimbabwe in the first of the three ODIs on Tuesday.
Pakistan entered the series on the back of a limited-overs tour of South Africa, where they played three ODIs and three T20Is. In their first series in the post-COVID-19 era, the Javeria led side produced some fine individual and collective performances despite finishing on the losing side in both series.
Javeria said the team's aim in this series is to build on the win in Durban and ingrain consistency and favourable results.
"This series is a great opportunity for the side to make the most of the victory in the final T20I and develop it into a habit," Javeria said while speaking to PCB digital.
"Everyone in the team is excited to be in Zimbabwe and to play six matches over the course of the next two weeks at a time when not many women's matches are happening around the world," she further said.
"Zimbabwe are one of the 10 teams who will be present at the World Cup Qualifiers and playing them ahead of the all-important event gives us crucial match practice," Javeria added.
Javeria also feels that the ongoing series will also help the side to test the bench strength of the Pakistan women's team.
"At the same time, this series will help us provide opportunities to exciting young cricketers in the ranks in competitive matches and gauge how they react," said Javeria.
The ongoing first ODI has also marked the first instance of a Pakistan women's side playing on Zimbabwe soil. The ODI series will be followed by three T20Is, which will see the two sides come face to face for the first time in international cricket.
Pakistan capped off the South Africa tour with an impressive win in the third and final T20I, thanks to Javeria, who scored a brilliant 56 not out on her return to the side after sustaining a finger injury which restricted her to the dugout in the first two T20Is.
