The Pakistan Cricket Board have named their women’s squad for the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou. The women’s matches to be played between September 19 and 26.

Pakistan are the only side to have won a gold medal in women’s cricket at the Asian Games, having won at both Guangzhou in 2010 and at Incheon in 2014.

Nida Dar will lead the side, while the squad also features prominent names like Diana Baig, Aliya Riaz, Fatima Sana, Muneeba Ali, NAshra Sandhu, and Omaima Sohail. Syeda Aroob Shah, who led Pakistan in the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year, will return to the side, not having played for Pakistan Seniors since 2020.

They will, however, be without Bismah Maroof, who has opted out, because the Asian Games “do not allow athletes to carry their children.”

Pakistan squad for Asian Games 2023: Nida Dar (c), Aliya Riaz, Anoosha Nasir, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Muneeba Ali, Najiha Alvi, Nashra Sandhu, Nataliya Parvaiz, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah, Umm-e-Hani.

Head coach: Mark Coles. Bowling coach: Saleem Jaffer. Fielding coach: Mohtashim Rasheed. Physiotherapist: Rifat Gill. Manager: Ayesha Ashhar.

There had been reports around the retirement of Ayesha Naseem, Pakistan’s wonder teen who had taken the cricket fraternity by storm on Pakistan’s tour of Australia in 2022/23.

A Cricbuzz report had mentioned that Ayesha had “conveyed the message that she wanted to retire from the game for religious reasons” to the PCB, and the board had been trying to “have her reconsider the decision.”

In their press release, the PCB confirmed that Ayesha “expressed her desire to retire from the game, which the board accepted”. On behalf of the board, Tania Mallick, the head of women’s cricket, wished her luck, adding that “the PCB understands and respects her decision to quit the game for personal reasons.”

Naseem was easily the fastest scorer in Pakistan’s T20I history. She scored her 369 runs at a strike rate of 128. None of her compatriots has scored at even 116 and, if one puts a 50-run cut-off, no one has struck at even 101.

Her 18 sixes (in 27 innings) are already the second-most for Pakistan. For perspective, Dar, the only other Pakistani with more sixes, has hit 27 in 115 innings.