As Pakistan prepares to face South Africa in their upcoming World Cup match in Sri Lanka, Rameen Shamim expressed confidence in her team despite the frustration of weather interruptions in earlier games.
“We just want to win those upcoming matches and leave a mark,” Rameen Shamim
When asked about the mood in the camp, she added, “Obviously rain is not in our control. We cannot control the weather. Unfortunately, we are upset because we were up to the mark against England. But we are confident because we played some good cricket in the last two matches, and now we have to play against South Africa and Sri Lanka.
“We are really prepared against them because we have played a series against South Africa before this World Cup. So, we know what to do in the next two matches, and our aim is just to win those two matches. It doesn’t matter what happened before; this is not in our control. We just want to win those upcoming matches and leave a mark.”
Rameen also highlighted the challenge South Africa poses, especially their captain Laura Wolvaardt. “South Africa is playing good cricket in this tournament, and they won their series against us. Their captain Laura Wolvaardt is in good form and in depth they’ve got Nadine de Klerk, she has played two back-to-back good innings against India and Bangladesh. The bowling line is also great because we are playing in Sri Lanka and the pitch supports fast bowlers. We are aware of them, and in the match, we will play good cricket against them. We target each and every player and have a plan for everyone in their team.”
She praised her teammates’ performances in recent matches, noting, “As you saw in the last match against England, Fatima bowled really well. She took the wickets of the main players of the team, like Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight… Sidra Amin is also in really good form. Unfortunately, she had a bad outing in the last match, but she’s in good form. I must say that our spinners, especially Sandhu and Sadia Iqbal, are my seniors, and they are doing really well. They’ve been bowling, and a lot of the plans revolve around both of them. I think Sidra, Nashra Sandhu, and Fatima are the key players of Pakistan.”
Speaking about her personal experience, Rameen said, “This is my first World Cup, and I’m really enjoying it. Sadia and Nashra have been playing for Pakistan for the last 3-4 years, and they are my seniors. I just want to play good cricket for Pakistan. The way Sadia and Sandhu give me support as a spinner is remarkable. I’m really enjoying it with them, especially with Sandhu, because Sadia mostly bowls with the new ball, and in the middle overs, I bowl. So, I think Nashra and Sadia play a vital role in my performance.”
On the team’s batting challenges, she added, “Yeah, obviously we were aware that our batting is not clicking. We are making mistakes in the batting order and while taking decisions. We have a plan for the next two matches, and our batters will hit the nets with great intensity to get across that line. I think our batters understand their mistakes and will ensure they come back strong.”
Finally, Rameen discussed the impact of rain-shortened matches. “Yeah, obviously we know that the rain can stop play at any time, and a 50-over match can be reduced to 20, 30, or 35 overs. Our batters and coaching staff are aware of that. Today we had a practice session, and we practiced according to the situation. The next two matches can be two 30-over matches, so we will prepare accordingly.”
Pakistan will aim to continue their strong bowling performances and have an eye to register their first win against South Africa who has already qualified for this tournament in the semifinals. While improving batting consistency as they face South Africa in Sri Lanka later today, spectators will witness a match that will test the batting line up of Pakistan and South Africa against good bowling.
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