'Kudos' - Former UAE women coach Ahmed Raza lauds PCB's move to allow Fatima Sana to play Hundred | Exclusive
Fatima Sana (Source: Instagram/fatima_sana14)
Published - 07 Sep 2026, 12:40 PM• Read time - 2 mins
Former UAE women's head coach, Ahmed Raza, has lauded the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for allowing Fatima Sana to skip the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka and feature in the women's Hundred 2026. Sana was acquired by Birmingham Phoenix in the wildcard draft for the minimum salary of £15,000 as a replacement for Australia's left-arm speedster Lucy Hamilton.
Sana led Pakistan in the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, which concluded on July 28 and was given a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to represent Phoenix at the multi-team franchise tournament in England. Muneeba Ali Siddiqui took up the leadership duties in Sana's absence as Pakistan lost the T20I series 2-1.
"Kudos to PCB for doing it," Raza said in the latest episode of the Mr Cricket UAE podcast. "For Fatima [Sana] to play that tournament and the PCB to relieve her from national duty is the way forward. In Associate cricket, every game is important, so as an associate nation we don't have the luxury of doing this, allowing our captain to go and play a franchise tournament [by skipping national duty]."
Sana caught the attention of the Phoenix owners by her mesmerising performances. Though Pakistan had a forgettable T20 World Cup, Sana emerged as the lone bright spark. She finished the event with the most wickets (11) for a fast bowler at an economy rate of 6.95. Overall, the Pakistan captain was the second-highest wicket-taker alongside Australia's skipper Sophie Molineux, with just three wickets behind India's slow left-arm orthodox bowler, N Sree Charani.
Sana's stint in the women's Hundred was her third overall appearance in franchise tournaments worldwide. She featured in the Women's Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) in September 2022 and for Canterbury in the women's Super Smash in December 2023.
Notably, Sana took over the reins of Pakistan's cricket team after Nida Dar's run as captain.