Sana Mir misses out on training; first match of the T20I series to be played on Saturday
\nnews desk
\nlahore
\nStar all-rounder Sana Mir was the notable absentee as Pakistan Women\u2019s cricket team held a training session on Thursday at the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore for their upcoming T20I series against Bangladesh, which starts this weekend.
\nMir\u2019s unavailability was on account of her trip to the United States, where she is to receive the Asia Game Changers Award.
\nThe players paid special attention to their physical fitness and fielding practice during the morning session today, which was scheduled to last three hours. Meanwhile, the afternoon session at the stadium has been assigned for the visiting Bangladesh team.
\nThe golden-coloured trophy for the series was unveiled later in the day in the presence of Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof and her Bangladeshi counterpart, Salma Khatun.
\nMaroof says PCB okayed Dar decision
\nMaroof, during the press conference, thanked the Bangladesh side for visiting Pakistan. She said that she would not underestimate their guests.
\nA major star missing in action would be Nida Dar, who is currently taking part in the ongoing Women\u2019s Big Bash League (WBBL) in Australia.
\n\u201cBy playing the WBBL in Australia, Nida Dar will get the exposure she would not have got here,\u201d Maroof said.
\nThe skipper admitted that representing the country should be the priority for any player but added that allowing Dar to feature in the WBBL was the board\u2019s decision.
\nMaroof also paid a tribute to former team coach Mark Coles, who resigned from the position earlier this month citing \u201cfamily responsibilities\u201d.
\n\u201cPetty things are part of life but the presence of Mark Coles improved the team\u2019s performance and we learned a lot from him,\u201d she said.
\nBangladesh\u2019s Khatun prioritises good cricket over results
\nKhatun, the Bangladeshi captain, meanwhile, thanked Pakistan for inviting her team over. She said that her experience of playing in Karachi earlier was pleasant and hoped that it would be the same this time as well.
\nShe said that playing against a higher-ranked opponent in their own backyard will be tough but vowed to play \u201cgood cricket\u201d regardless of results.
\nThe opening clash of the three-match T20I series will be played on Saturday, with the subsequent to games set to be staged on October 28 and 30 respectively.
\nMir, a former captain and a veteran presence in the side, is expected to rejoin the rest of the squad on Saturday \u2014 the exact day the series kicks off.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sana Mir misses out on training; first match of the T20I series to be played on Saturday news desk lahore Star all-rounder Sana Mir was the notable absentee as Pakistan Women\u2019s cricket team held a training session on Thursday at the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore for their upcoming T20I series against Bangladesh, which starts this weekend. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":89478,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-89455","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n