Wahab Riaz wants Pakistan women to play attacking cricket during World Cup

Pakistan women’s head coach Wahab Riaz wants the team to go full throttle as they gear up to begin their T20 World Cup campaign on Sunday against India. The team could not get a single win after they whitewashed Zimbabwe women 3-0 at home. 

Pakistan’s build-up to the World Cup

Following that series, they travelled to Ireland for the Tri-series, but had to endure two losses and as many washouts. The warm-up games did not have any different result, as Pakistan lost both their games against Sri Lanka and Scotland.

Wahab, however, is positive that the experience that Pakistan gleaned despite the results would be valuable enough to help them do well.

“It is the dream of every player to play in a World Cup. I have told my players to go out there, enjoy themselves, express themselves and play attacking cricket, no matter what the outcome is,” Wahab said in a statement.

“Despite the results, the players have gained exposure by playing in Ireland and in the warm-up games before the World Cup. The weather is quite different from Pakistan and the pitches also behave differently, but the players have been told not to worry and just play their natural game,” he said.

Pakistan’s tough group

Pakistan are drawn into the same group as South Africa, Australia, India, Netherlands, and Bangladesh. They will kick off the World Cup with a high-intensity game against India, and their task would hardly get easier with the coming games. But Wahab believes the fickle T20 format paired with Pakistan’s talent would help the side stay afloat even against difficult oppositions.

“In T20 cricket, any result is possible. We will go into every group match with the belief that we can win,” he said.

“We have a good combination of experienced players and talented youngsters. To succeed in a World Cup, you just have to keep faith in your ability regardless of the opponent.”

“We are hoping to get pitches that assist spinners because that is one of our strengths,” he said.

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