Pakistan’s captain Fatima Sana has transformed from an inexperienced bowler to a dominant all-rounder since taking charge in 2024.
When Fatima Sana was handed the Pakistan captaincy in August 2024, she brought along 40 T20I appearances, a batting average below 20, a top score of 35 not out, and a bowling average exceeding 30. At that stage, she had fewer than six weeks to secure her spot in the team before the T20 World Cup. Nearly two years on, she has added 18 more T20I matches to her record, during which her batting average has surged to 50, her top score now stands at 90, and her bowling average has dropped to under 24.
Pakistan have claimed just seven victories from those games and just one series win, against Zimbabwe, yet her individual contributions indicate she is setting the pace for the side.
Sana, aged 24, has already spent seven years as an international cricketer, making her debut at 17. She has led Pakistan through both personal and professional hardships while maintaining a firm and composed demeanor. In her first major tournament as captain, her father passed away unexpectedly. She attended his funeral before returning to the team, where she cried during the national anthem, took the new ball, and top-scored with the bat despite Pakistan suffering a heavy defeat to eventual champions New Zealand.
A year later, she led the ODI team to the World Cup, where political tensions left them stranded in Sri Lanka while most matches were played in India. The side finished without a win, but Sana stood out as the highest wicket-taker and nearly pulled off an upset against England. Her bowling figures of four wickets for 27 runs nearly sealed the game, and England only avoided defeat due to rain.
Since then, Sana has been in relentless form. In her first series after the ODI World Cup, batting at number eight, she bludgeoned 90 runs off 41 deliveries in a T20I in Potchefstroom as Pakistan set South Africa a target of 181. Although South Africa chased it down on the final ball, Sana’s innings remains the highest score by any women’s batter at number seven or lower in T20I history. In the third match, which Pakistan won, she remained unbeaten on 47 off 30 balls. She finished the T20I series as the leading run-scorer with a strike rate of 184.81 and followed it up with back-to-back half-centuries in the subsequent ODI series.
Her most explosive display came against Zimbabwe during their first tour of Pakistan. Sana smashed an unbeaten 62 off just 19 balls, setting the record for the fastest fifty in women’s T20Is in 15 deliveries. Despite Zimbabwe being a developing side in their early stages of the women’s Future Tours Programme, Sana’s innings featured 10 fours and two sixes, showcasing her fearless power-hitting from both sides of the wicket. Her aggressive front-foot drives and brutal striking force were on full display.
Sana concluded the Zimbabwe series as the second-highest run-scorer and the second-best wicket-taker, leaving an indelible mark on the series. Her performances have raised hopes that she can replicate this impact at the upcoming World Cup. Aliya Riaz, Pakistan’s all-rounder with 110 T20Is, described Sana’s potential and versatility, stating, 'Fatima is a player with a huge amount of potential and she has a lot of ability to play all-round cricket. She is a dynamic leader and a very important member of our team.' Riaz added, 'I hope she plays well in this tournament, in all departments. She's improving day by day as a captain. She is very young and learning every day.'
Though Aliya Riaz has captained Pakistan briefly in an interim role in 2021, she brings 12 years of international experience and serves as part of the team’s senior core. She has acted as a trusted advisor to Sana, with both sharing a common goal of elevating Pakistan’s cricket standards. Riaz explained their discussions, saying, 'As a young captain, whenever she's come to me, we always talk about improving our game and improving our cricket. We discuss this a lot with each other.'
Pakistan have historically underperformed at major tournaments, winning only nine out of 36 matches across nine T20 World Cups. In the last four editions, they have managed just one victory at each event, and they have never progressed to a knockout stage. Many believe that if Pakistan are to break this pattern, Sana will need to lead the way, which may require her to bat higher in the order. She has moved up from number eight to number six, where she boasts her best strike rate of 184.61, though number five could be her most effective position. The challenge lies in balancing her triple duties as captain, opening bowler—likely in England—and batting in the top five, which may currently be too much. Pakistan possess other batters capable of building innings at the top, so the team must step up to provide Sana with the necessary support so she is not carrying the team alone.
Sana has already entered the all-time top 10 lists for both T20 runs and wickets, and her upward trajectory suggests she could finish near the summit in both categories. More significantly, she has the chance to carve out a lasting legacy as the leader of a team that is truly her own. Her inswingers have caused significant damage with the ball, as seen in her performances across formats.