Pakistan sweat on Fatima Sana’s fitness after training blow

Pakistan captain Fatima Sana gave her team an early scare on the eve of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup after taking a painful blow to her right knee during training in Birmingham. The incident occurred when Ayesha Zafar drilled a straight shot back at the bowler, leaving Sana collapsing immediately and requiring assistance from physios and teammates. She spent most of the session icing the knee on the sidelines and did not return to bowling, prompting uncertainty over her availability for the high‑stakes opener against India at Edgbaston.

After nearly 45 minutes, Sana was able to walk without discomfort and later attempted to downplay the injury, insisting it was “just a normal hit” and expressing hope of being fit in time. Her importance is unquestioned: Pakistan’s leading pacer has also become a destructive lower‑order batter, boasting a strike rate above 180 since the last World Cup. Her fitness remains vital to Pakistan’s campaign.