Lahore-The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has responded to recent remarks by former women’s team captain Sana Mir, rejecting her concerns about the domestic cricket calendar as “factually inaccurate.”
Mir had criticised the scheduling of the National Women’s 50-over Tournament during the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, questioning on X (formerly Twitter): “Why would anyone schedule a National 50-over tournament at the same time when the ODI World Cup is happening? Why not before?”
Responding to her post, the PCB issued a statement on Friday asserting that Mir’s claims lacked “factual basis”. The Board stated that she ought to have confirmed the dates before issuing a public critique.
A senior official from the PCB Women’s Wing clarified that the National Women’s One-Day Tournament, announced as part of the 2025–26 domestic calendar, will commence the new season for Pakistan’s women’s cricket. The previous season will conclude with the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, set to be held in India and Sri Lanka from 30 September to 2 November 2025.
The PCB emphasised that the domestic tournament in question is scheduled to take place in Karachi from November 10 to 23, with preparatory activities beginning on November 6. This, the Board noted, is well after the World Cup ends, directly refuting Mir’s assertion that both events would run concurrently.
Addressing suggestions that the domestic tournament had been added hastily to an already congested calendar, the PCB reiterated its commitment to player welfare. The Board noted that between 7 July and November 2, 2025, the national women’s side will undergo two training camps in Karachi and Lahore, play an away T20I series, host an ODI series, and compete in seven league matches during the World Cup, prior to potential knockout fixtures.
Regarding World Cup preparations, the PCB has launched a 25-day training camp in Karachi, focused on fitness and match-readiness, including several 50-over practice matches. After returning from Ireland on 12 August, where the team will play a three-match T20I series, players will begin preparing for the ODI series against South Africa, which starts on 25 August in Lahore.
From 25 August to 28 September, the squad will engage in high-performance training, three ODIs, and two warm-up matches against Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka ‘A’ in Colombo, aimed at enhancing 50-over match readiness.
The PCB also highlighted that Pakistan remained unbeaten during the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier held at home in April. Following this, players participated in the National Women’s T20 Tournament in Karachi in May.
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