Fatima Sana Khan: The Powerpuff Girl

Before becoming the first female cricketer from Pakistan to receive an International Cricket Council (ICC) accolade, Fatima Sana Khan used to play in the streets of Nazimabad Block 1 with her brothers.

She was breaking many stereotypes by playing a sport, which is usually associated with boys. She was backed by her brothers, who made her play with them on the thoroughfares.

The recipient of ICC’s Woman Emerging Player of the Year award was young, as young as 10, so she was not given the opportunity to bat as her brothers and their friends were afraid that she might sustain an injury and everyone would get in trouble.

Therefore, she was asked to bowl. But, how well a 10-year-old could bowl?

“I used to bowl only because boys didn’t allow me to bat,” she shared while talking to Bol News. “They had a fear that what if a ball hit me while batting. So, I got interested in bowling from that point. My deliveries didn’t use to reach the batter. Therefore, they advised me to run fast and bowl. This was where I got my bowling action from.”

Seeing Fatima’s passion for the game and the hunger to learn, her brothers decided to find out about the different avenues in Karachi for female cricketers from where she could learn and progress.

One day, the young Fatima saw two girls carrying kitbags near her house who were heading for training. The sight intrigued curiosity in the then-budding cricketer, who asked one of her brothers to find out where they are going.

Soon, her brother found out that there was a women’s team camp set up at the National Stadium Karachi where numerous youngsters, including Karachi-based national stars, were honing their skills and fitness under the supervision of the then head coach Tahir Mahmood.

Her brother talked to Mahmood and told him about her young sister who was a passionate and talented cricketer.

Mahmood asked Fatima’s brother to bring her for the nets.

“I saw two females near my house with kitbags and I still don’t know who they were,” she shared. “However, I got to know about the women’s team camp at the National Stadium where names like Javeria Khan and Syeda Nain Abidi were training.”

When Fatima met Mahmood, he suggested her to join either Custom or Zaka Academy. She wasted little time and enrolled in Custom Academy.

Soon she impressed everyone there and got selected for the Pakistan U-17 side.

“The U-17 team featured players from all around the country. I was a part of the 20-member squad,” she shared.

The selection in the U-17 squad gave Fatima the confidence and a boost that if she can make it this far, there is no reason why she cannot make it into the national squad. She started targeting the national cricket team’s members in the nets and tried to dismiss them during the training sessions.

Her strategy came in handy and she was named in Pakistan’s U-19 squad and was also called to take part in Pakistan Cricket Board’s triangular competition. She was impressive in the campaign and emerged as the highest wicket-taker in the last two editions.

At a tender age of merely 20, Fatima has already claimed one of the most prestigious awards in women’s cricket, ICC Emerging Women’s Cricketer of the Year, which has surely put her under the spotlight.

“I never thought of achieving this but my aim now is to make Pakistan proud,” said the determined pacer. “I now look to enjoy my cricket and take responsibility as the world recognises me now. The award will motivate me to do well in the future.”

Fatima accredits her family for whatever she has achieved so far in her brief career. The father and daughter bond is always special, to say the least. In Fatima’s case, her father was at the forefront in providing her everything she needed in her journey and was one of her biggest supporters.

“My father used to take me to different places that were far from home [to play games],” she shared. “If there was a match from the morning till evening, he would stay at the ground just for me. My goal was to be a player on whom my father is proud of because of the time he has invested in me.”

Similarly, her mother and five siblings also have a pivotal role to play in her glorious journey.

“My mother also helped me a lot. I was given everything I needed from her side to reach the very top,” she said. “We are five siblings and being the youngest one in the family, they backed me fully to go forward and achieve things in life.”

Moreover, three coaches have helped Fatima in improving her skills at different stages of her career.

One of them is Nazim Khan, who also coached Pakistan’s batting sensation Fakhar Zaman in his early days.

The others are athletics coach Wasim Khan and Amir Iqbal.

“They especially worked on me. They made me feel that I can work on my batting and serve the team as an all-rounder,” she maintained.

While growing up as a fast bowler, Fatima idolised England’s fast bowling legend James Anderson. His control over the ball and fitness are some of the things that the young pacer loves about him.

“I loved watching James Anderson. I made him my idol and follow him. His wrist position of inswing and outswing attracted me. He has been playing for so long.” she shared.

However, apart from her childhood hero, she is also in awe of her Pakistani male counterpart and a fellow ICC’s award recipient, Shaheen Shah Afridi.

“Besides him [Anderson], Shaheen Shah is also my favourite,” she mentioned. “I watch them and try to learn what different things they do that we don’t do in women’s cricket.”

Fatima aims to take Pakistan women’s team to a similar level with her all-round performances that the men’s team enjoyed in 2021.

Upcoming world cup

The talented young cricketer, who has taken 21 wickets in 15 games and scored 28 runs in 14 innings, will represent Pakistan for the first time in a World Cup, starting from March 4 in New Zealand.

Moreover, she will take part in the mother of all contests, the game against the arch-rivals India on March 6 to kick off the team’s campaign.

However, the 20-year-old is not overwhelmed by the situation. Instead, she is looking at this challenge as an opportunity to shine at the biggest stage and carve her name in the history books.

“The match is viewed by millions and everyone loves watching Pakistan-India games,” she said. “One awaits to play in this kind of match and I will look to give my best.”

The right-arm pacer wants to replicate the recent performance of her local hero, Shaheen Afridi, against India, where he single-handedly pulled the game in Pakistan’s favour with a deadly spell of bowling.

“Babar Azam’s side had a stellar year and our aim is also to take women’s cricket forward just like men’s cricket. Against India, they gave it all and we look to do the same,” she said. “World cup is a tournament where everyone sets eyes on you. I want to make an impact in this competition. We will have seven matches and will look to play with the same intensity in all of them.”

The Girls-in-Green have never qualified for the knockout stages of a 50-over World Cup, and the youngster wants to change it.

“If we play to our true potential, Allah will also help us in achieving our goals,” she maintained. “What happened in the past is not our focus. This is a big tournament and our goal will be to make Pakistan win.”

Captain’s comments

In a virtual press conference before leaving for the mega-event on Tuesday, Bismah Maroof said that they will look to start their campaign on a positive note by standing victorious in their opening match against India.

Pakistan will take on the top teams of the world during the competition, including Australia and England. The eighth-ranked ODI team do not have a decent record against the leading sides; however, the skipper is hopeful to have better results this time around.

“We’ve studied the teams well and analysed their strengths and weaknesses,” she said. “Each match will have its own pressure since it’s the World Cup.”

Maroof, who is returning to the team after a maternity leave of about two years, has set her eyes to reach the knockout stage of the global competition.

“We have worked hard in the training camp and the aim is to reach the semi-final of the event,” she stated. “The best training opportunities were available at the camp under the supervision of Head Coach David Hamp.”

The 30-year-old claimed that the fitness of the players have improved and they have specifically worked hard on the fielding and bowling departments.

She added that the authorities have tried to pick the best combination of players, having a good amalgamation of young and senior cricketers.

The playing conditions in New Zealand are expected to be fast-bowling friendly, therefore, Pakistan’s pacers will have an integral role to play. She is hopeful that Fatima will continue her top-notch show with the ball in hand.

“New Zealand conditions are favourable for fast bowlers. Pakistan’s fast bowling attack consists of Ayman Anwar, Diana Baig and Sana Fatima,” she said. “Fatima has been consistently giving good performances. I hope it will continue in the World Cup.”