Women's World Cup: Will Pakistan attend opening ceremony in India?
What's the story
Team Pakistan is set to skip the ICC Women's World Cup opening ceremony in Guwahati on September 30. The event will be held ahead of the tournament opener between India and Sri Lanka, the two co-hosts. Renowned Indian singer Shreya Ghoshal is slated to perform at this grand occasion. However, sources have told Geo News that neither captain Fatima Sana nor any other representative from Pakistan will attend this year.
Policy impact
Pakistan's absence due to political reasons
Pakistan's absence from the ceremony is believed to be related to a recent policy adopted by both countries ahead of the Champions Trophy. Under this new rule, neither nation will travel across the border for ICC tournaments over the next three years. The strained political relations between India and Pakistan have prevented bilateral tours since 2008, further complicating sporting events like these.
Tournament details
Pakistan's schedule in World Cup
Despite skipping the opening ceremony, Pakistan's women's team has qualified for the ICC Women's ODI World Cup 2025. They secured their spot by going unbeaten in the qualifiers hosted in Pakistan, winning all five matches. The team will play its first match against Bangladesh on October 2 and face arch-rivals India on October 5. All of Pakistan's matches will be held at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo due to geopolitical tensions.
Squad
Pakistan's squad for 2025 Women's WC
Squad: Fatima Sana (c), Muneeba Ali Siddiqui (vc), Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Eyman Fatima, Nashra Sandhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Omaima Sohail, Rameen Shamim, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz, Syeda Aroob Shah. Non-traveling reserves: Gull Feroza, Najiha Alvi, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani, Waheeda Akhtar.