The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has allowed captain Fatima Sana to skip the T20I series of the national team’s tour of Sri Lanka — set to begin on July 31 — in order to represent Birmingham Phoenix in the women’s Hundred, which commences on July 21. Sana will be unavailable for Phoenix’s opening two matches, scheduled for July 24 and July 26, as she fulfills ODI commitments in Sri Lanka as part of the ICC Women’s Championship. The ODI leg concludes on July 28, after which she will journey from Hambantota to England.
Last month, Sana made history as the first Pakistani woman selected by a Hundred franchise when Birmingham Phoenix signed her in the wildcard draft at the minimum salary of £15,000, stepping in for Australia’s Lucy Hamilton.
The 24-year-old was a rare positive in Pakistan’s disappointing World Cup outing, where the side managed just one victory — against the Netherlands — across five group matches to place fifth in a six-team pool. Sana emerged as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker among fast bowlers, claiming 11 scalps at an economy of 6.95. Overall, she ranked second on the wicket list with 11, level with Australian captain Sophie Molineux, behind India’s N Shree Charani, who topped the chart with 14.
The stint with Phoenix marks Sana’s third overseas domestic T20 competition, following appearances for the Barbados Royals in the women’s Caribbean Premier League in September 2022 and Canterbury in New Zealand’s women’s Super Smash in December 2023.
A PCB spokesperson informed ESPNcricinfo that the board approved her absence from the three Sri Lanka T20Is to ensure she gains valuable exposure in the highly competitive Hundred format.
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