Karachi
\nPakistan\u2019s top-order women batter Bismah Maroof has confirmed her availability for the ICC Women\u2019s World Cup 2022, a statement released by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed Tuesday.
\nThe star cricketer will participate in warm-up matches that are to be held in Karachi as part of the side\u2019s selection and preparation for the New Zealand event that will take place from March 4 to April 3, 2022.
\nBismah, who has played 108 ODIs and T20Is each in a career that started in 2006, commenced her maternity leave in December 2020 and gave birth to a baby girl in August 2021.
\nThe cricketer has already been re-integrated into cricketing activities and has resumed fitness sessions as part of her post-childbirth rehabilitation at the National High Performance Centre.
\nHowever, she will soon commence net practice after overcoming a thumb injury, the statement added.
\n\u201cThe past few months have been the best of my life. Becoming a mother and spending time with my daughter has given me immense pleasure, but it is now time to return to my passion of representing Pakistan at an international stage,\u201d the player said.
\nShe further said: \u201cThe maternity leave helped me realise the significance of navigating the balance of raising a child and maintaining my professional cricketing career as I missed being on the field each time I saw the girls in action.\u201d
\nThanking the PCB Parental Support Policy, she said: \u201cIt greatly facilitated my return to cricket, I can now resume my ambitions and aspirations of playing for Pakistan and hope to make a useful contribution to our target of doing well in New Zealand.\u201d
\nUnder the policy, if Bismah is selected, she will be allowed to be accompanied by her dependent child and one support person of her choice.
\nShe will be one of the 36 probables to feature in a seven-match tri-series at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre from January 10-19.
\nThe women players will be split into two squads and will be joined by a local boys\u2019 side with the New Zealand-bound squad to be named on January 25.
\nUrooj Mumtaz steps down as Women\u2019s Selection Committee chair
\nMeanwhile, the PCB has confirmed that Urooj Mumtaz has stepped down as Chair of Women\u2019s Selection Committee to focus on her professional commitments as well as to pursue other opportunities within the game.
\nAsmavia Iqbal has been named as the new head of the selection panel and will be assisted by junior selection committee members Saleem Jaffar and Taufeeq Umar.
\nCommenting on the development, PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja said: \u201cI want to thank Urooj Mumtaz for her contributions as Chair of the Pakistan Women\u2019s Selection Committee. You worked diligently in your role for which the PCB is grateful and indebted. We wish you best for your future endeavours.\u201d
\n\u201cIt has been a wonderful experience to head the selection committee and contribute to the growth and progression of women\u2019s cricket. I am grateful for the opportunity and thank all my colleagues while wishing the team the very best in the 2022 international commitments and beyond,\u201d said Urooj Mumtaz.
\nUrooj was appointed Chair of the selection committee in March 2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Karachi Pakistan\u2019s top-order women batter Bismah Maroof has confirmed her availability for the ICC Women\u2019s World Cup 2022, a statement released by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed Tuesday. The star cricketer will participate in warm-up matches that are to be held in Karachi as part of the side\u2019s selection and preparation for the New […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":235650,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[2294,2295,2293,196],"class_list":{"0":"post-235643","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-baby-girl","9":"tag-birth","10":"tag-bismah-maroof","11":"tag-cricket"},"yoast_head":"\n