"I think we have the best 15 member squad" expresses Bismah Maroof

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Maryam Mallick
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"I think we have the best 15 member squad" expresses Bismah Maroof

Bismah Maroof in action for Pakistan. ©ICC

Having recovered from her sinus surgery, Bismah Maroof has re-joined the squad for the upcoming World Twenty-20. She missed out on the series against Bangladesh and the ODI series with Australia. She did return for the Twenty-20 leg of the series, though. Following the conclusion of the series, Women's CricZone had an exclusive interview with Maroof.



While Maroof has returned to the squad, she will not be resuming her role as captain, for the time being. When asked about that decision, Maroof replied, "I wasn't in the state to captain. For me, right now it is important to put my health first. I needed to settle myself in and I didn't think I could take the responsibility of the team because of my health. I thought it would be best for Javeria (Khan) to continue as captain, while I focus on my health after my major sinus surgery."



Javeria Khan to lead Pakistan at the World T20



In their series against Australia, Pakistan suffered a whitewash at the hands of their opposition. While this means Pakistan does not go into the World Twenty-20 on the back of a winning momentum, Maroof says "playing against a top side is always good." She further adds, "We learnt a lot from the series and we definitely need to play more fearlessly." That will be one of the key aspects the team will look to improve upon. With Twenty-20 cricket becoming more and more aggressive, the "fearless" brand of cricket is taking over and that is what Pakistan will have to adopt if they are to succeed in the format.



According to Maroof, the highlight of an otherwise disappointing series has been how the youngsters stepped up and performed. "Omaima Sohail was a big positive for us," reflected Maroof. "The way she played in the matches with a fearless approach. It's a big positive for us and her, too. She will take a lot of confidence from it. As for bowling, Aliya (Riaz) bowled well throughout the series. It's good that the youngsters are taking responsibility. It's just, we've done well in phases. We've built partnerships and done well on the field in phases. It's important we do so for a longer run so that the end result will be in our favour."



Despite the series defeat, there is still plenty of confidence in the squad. Maroof was optimistic about her teams chances in the tournament, saying, "I think we have the best 15 member squad from Pakistan right now. There's a lot of belief in the squad and we just need to work on our execution and fix our mistakes." The team has a blend of experienced campaigners, as well as some new-comers. With a revamped team, the squad is positive they can do well in the World Twenty-20.



The key to them doing so will be taking it "one game at a time." Maroof added, "It's important we treat each match equally and not focus too much on any particular match. Otherwise, it just puts a lot of pressure on you. We will try to take it one game at a time and bring the same energy to each match." This will be a particular mindset of the team. Especially considering one of their group matches will be against arch-rivals, India. On that match, Maroof commented, "Off the field, our match with India is a much-anticipated one for the audience. But, as players, it is important to understand that it's just a game. We simply need to put in our best effort."



With the World Twenty-20 being hosted in the Caribbean, the team will be flying there soon. However, the conditions there are quite unfamiliar for the Pakistani players. Only a handful of them have played there before. When asked what preparation has gone in, beforehand, to adjust to the conditions, Maroof replied, "We can only assess the conditions when we get there. We'll try to adapt to them as fast as we can. Pitches there are slow, so it's important that we take our time and adapt our game accordingly."



Pakistan Team Preview



With the pitches being slower and favouring spin, Pakistan may have a competitive advantage. "We have a good spin attack," Maroof acknowledged. "We have also had a good win percentage on spinning pitches so, we're looking forward to our spinners doing well." And while the spinners will play an important role Maroof said "it's important that as a team, our batters support our bowlers. We will try to put in a combined effort with the bat and ball so that we are a more competitive team." Boasting the 4th and 8th ranked Twenty-20 bowlers, Anam Amin and Nida Dar, respectively and Sana Mir, who recently rose to the top spot in the ODI rankings, there is no doubt that Pakistan has a strong bowling unit. If there batting unit can support them, they will be a threat in the tournament.



Talking about Mir's rise to the number one ranking, Maroof expressed, "I think it's a big achievement. She is a fighter of a player. After captaincy, she has focused on her individual performance and it has enhanced. It's an amazing achievement and is very pleasing for the team, too. We're proud of her!"



Pakistan begin their World Twenty-20 campaign against Australia on 9th November. Will they have their breakout run in the tournament this time around? Maroof seems to think so.



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