Pakistan women cricket team need consistency in performance: analysts

Pakistan national women cricket team's journey in the ICC Women's Championship 2017-20 culminated in the Bismah Maroof-led side breaking into the top-four of the eight-team tournament standings with their third ODI against England women getting washed-out in Kuala Lumpur.

For a side which sits seventh on the ICC Women's ODIs team rankings, the past two years have seen them achieve new heights by recording historic victories on the basis of some outstanding individual performances and remarkable teamwork.

Sana Mir said: "Our journey in the tournament had begun after a very tough 2017 World Cup and I was given the opportunity to bowl with the new ball. We had come very close to beating New Zealand in the first ODI but we couldn't cross the rope. But, that moment came in the last match when we beat them by five wickets. Those four wickets are more special to me than any five-fer as they helped Pakistan to secure a victory in a historic match."

Bismah Maroof said: "Winning against New Zealand was very important for us as it helped us gain momentum and it gave us confidence that we can do something in this championship. That historic win went a long way in giving us the self-belief which helped us in our next series."

Javeria Khan said: "The Sri Lanka series was quite a memorable one. It gave a lot of confidence to the girls and boosted the team's morale. Every individual played according to her role, which helped us outclass the opposition in all three facets of the game. The credit for that victory goes to entire unit. She said, "Playing against Australia was not easy but there was a gradual improvement in our performances after every match. We couldn't put up decent totals in the first two matches but we put our best score against them in the third match."

The 3-0 whitewash against Australia was followed by Pakistan's sensational victory against the West Indies women in the UAE. Pakistan came from behind to beat the West Indies 2-1 and that it had come on the back of youngsters like opener Sidra Amin, who struck two half-centuries in three matches and averaged almost 50, and pacer Diana Baig (seven wickets at 10.85 runs apiece in two matches) made it more special. This was also Pakistan's first-ever series win against the West Indies.

Diana Baig said: "I wanted to make a strong impression as I had not played the first match. I wanted to attack and bowl positively which not only helped me take wickets but also stop the flow of runs. I am glad I was able to get wickets early on in both matches."

Sidra Amin said: "It is always a good feeling to contribute in a winning cause. But helping your side secure a historic series win against a side like West Indies was truly special. It is quite a memorable part of my journey. I scored 96 and 52 and had some good partnerships with Nida Dar."

Pakistan's final round assignment in the ICC Women's Championship was the recently-concluded ODI series against England Women in Kuala Lumpur. They were in a tight race with South Africa, who still have six matches to go in the tournament, with only one point separating them. Pakistan got that point as the third ODI was washed-out and by the virtue of having a better net run-rate they leapfrogged South Africa to the fourth spot. Pakistan lost 2-0 in a series in which their captain with two half-centuries in three innings stood out.

Bismah Maroof: "It is good to be amongst runs but my runs would have been more valuable had we won these matches. We played good cricket in bits and pieces but we couldn't stretch them to longer spells. The difference between us and good sides is that they don't let the momentum slip away which is something we are lacking and it was the difference between us and England."

Whether Pakistan stays at the fourth spot in the ICC Women's Championship will be determined by South Africa's run over the course of their next six matches.

In the inaugural edition of the ICC Women's Championship, which ran from 2014-2016, Pakistan finished second last with only four wins from 18 matches. In this edition, however, there has been a marked improvement.

And, going forward, they will hope to build on the impressive performances they have put over the course of the past two years. Pakistan women team need to be more consistent in performances, they can overcome weaknesses by playing competitive cricket on regular basis, analysts said.