Women's T20 World Cup 2024 – Fatima Sanas Pakistan look to hit India hard with improved power play

Pakistan opened the tournament with a stunning win over Sri Lanka and are enjoying a recent wave of success in terms of development and not just results.

Six batting comes with a certain mindset that Sana believes is slowly becoming embedded in Pakistan's batting DNA. She believes it wasn't always like this.

“If you look at the last South Africa series, a lot of our girls have improved in power hitting,” Sana said. “In the last South Africa series, our team scored six sixes in one game.

“I think the girls believe that even if the fielders are at the back, they can hit a six in one shot. It's good that all the girls are convinced of this. Personally, I used to hit a lot before, but I didn't know whether I could hit or not, but with this belief it has become a lot easier now.

Wasim had the support of Hanif Malik, who he worked with at Islamabad United, to help with long-range hitting. Sana believes that using different methods to improve, regardless of the results, is a good place to start.

“First of all, we always wanted to play attacking cricket,” said Sana. “I watched whatever team we played against – we tried to attack cricket. As a bowler, I always felt that whoever bowled against us beat us from the first ball. I wanted.” Our team must have batters who can punish the bowler from the first ball. We have worked a lot on it and hopefully you will see the result soon.

Before the game against India, Sana, along with the coaching staff, was among the first to hit distance shots and spent a lot of time on the backswing and head position while hitting the ball. These improvements come from a deep desire to be the “number one all-rounder.”

“I always wanted to be the number one all-rounder – because of course bowling is a team sport, but the team wins if you are good at everything – even if you are good on the field,” she said. “That's why I always tried to prove myself by helping the team win. I think that was the only challenge for me.”

“That I should take my clout with me. Sir (Wasim) played a big role in this. He helped me a lot. Our power hitting coach, he has helped a lot of girls. I think all the credit goes to him because he instilled in us the belief that you can become an all-rounder. He deserves recognition for that.”