Bismah Maroof, the ex-Pakistan women's national team cricket captain, has opted to pull out of the forthcoming Asian Games in China. She has taken the decision due to the child-carrying rules of the event set to held in Hangzhou. Notably, the organisers have refused athletes from participating nations to bring their babies for the competition which is why Bismah missed out from the squad announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday. She had become a mother to a baby girl in August 2021.
"The team is unfortunate to miss out on the services of Bismah Maroof for this event as she would not have been able to accompany her infant daughter to the Games village due to the regulations in place," Head of Women Cricket, Tania Mallick said.
In what will be the 19th edition of the Asian Games, Nida Dar will take charge as the leader of the team, while Diana Beg makes a comeback after successfully recovering from a finger injury. Additionally, the squad welcomes two new faces: left-arm spinner Anoosha Nasir and right-hand batter Shawaal Zulfiqar. These talented players earned their maiden call-ups to the team due to their impressive performances in the ICC U19 Women's T20 World Cup and Emerging Women's Teams Asia Cup. The selection committee recognized their potential and decided to include them in the squad for the Asian Games.
Besides Bismah Maroof, another significant absence in the team will be 18-year-old Ayesha Naseem, who recently surprised everyone by announcing her retirement from cricket. Her decision to step away from the sport is attributed to personal reasons. The sudden retirement of the young talent has left a void in the team, as she had shown great promise and potential during her cricketing journey. However, her well-being and personal priorities take precedence, and the team respects her decision.
Having won gold medals at the 2010 and the 2014 editions of the tournament held in Guangzhou, China, and Incheon, South Korea, respectively the Women in Green will embark on a mission to achieve a historic hat-trick at this year's event scheduled to take place from September 19 to 26.