Pakistan women’s captain Fatima Sana calls for gender equality in cricket

Pakistan cricket captain Fatima Sana has called for parity between the country’s men’s and women’s teams, urging fans to show greater support for female players by filling stadiums for their tournaments.

The 25-year-old says she “dreams of a time” when the Pakistan women’s cricket team are treated as equal to the men’s team. “I hope it comes,” Sana said on Tuesday.

Sana, who has led the Pakistan team since 2024, is one of the country’s finest cricketers and has swiftly risen to the top echelons of women’s cricket.

The all-rounder is playing franchise cricket for the Australian Perth Scorchers in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) in Australia, one of the world’s top women’s cricket competitions.

Following her team’s six-wicket win over Melbourne Stars on Sunday, Sana was asked about the state of women’s cricket in Pakistan.

“If you look at world cricket, the sport is growing,” Sana told digital cricket news platform CricBlog TV.

“I would like to see the same growth in Pakistan, be it in the men’s or women’s game.”

The right-arm medium-fast bowler is the second Pakistani player to feature in the WBBL after former captain Nida Dar, who played for Sydney Thunder in 2019.

Sana, who holds the world record for the fastest international 50 in women’s T20 cricket, led Pakistan to a bronze medal at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

“The way the crowds turn up for men’s matches, I hope the same happens for the women’s matches,” she added.

Since making her WBBL debut on October 31, Sana has picked up five wickets in as many matches, with a bowling economy of 7.62 runs per over – figures that keep her joint-10th in the most-wickets chart.

Her WBBL campaign marks just the second time the 25-year-old has featured in an overseas league, having also played for Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred in England.

“It is an honour to come here and have the opportunity to play [in Australia]. It’s great to play alongside my teammates; they’re very supportive and helpful,” Sana said.

“Personally, I wish for more and more girls from Pakistan to come and play in Australia so that cricket can grow back home in Pakistan, too,” she added.

At Perth Scorchers, Sana shares the dressing room with some of the world’s best players, including ex-New Zealand captain Sophie Devine and Australia batter Beth Mooney.

Pakistan will host the next edition of the women’s T20 World Cup in 2028. It will also be the first to feature 12 teams, up from 10 in the previous six editions.

It will be the first ICC women’s event held in Pakistan, which has hosted two ICC Men’s ODI World Cups and the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy in 2025.

Sana believes the tournament could help boost women’s participation in the sport in the cricket-mad South Asian nation.

“It’s a great step by the ICC that the [2028] World Cup is taking place in Pakistan, which will encourage more women players to come forward,” Sana said.

“When more girls watch the World Cup at home, their parents will also offer them more opportunities to play the sport.”