Sana Mir to lead Pakistan at World T20

Sana Mir will lead Pakistan at the women’s World Twenty20 tournament in Sri Lanka next month, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced along with finalising the 15-member squad on Monday. The International Cricket Council (ICC) also announced the squads for all the eight participating nations. Pakistan’s women’s team recently won the tri-nation tournament in Ireland after beating Bangladesh. The World Twenty20 starts in Galle on September 26 with the final in Colombo on October 7. All eight women’s squads for the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012 have now been confirmed with the very best players in the world all getting ready for the big event, which gets underway in Sri Lanka next month. The group stages of the women’s element of the tournament will take place in Galle with the semi-finals and final being stage in Colombo. The knock-out matches will all feature as double-headers with the men’s equivalents just as they did in the West Indies two years ago. Jodie Fields will lead defending champion Australia and will want to lift the trophy again after her side won the 2010 tournament with current vice-captain Alex Blackwell at the helm. Helping Fields in her endeavour to secure her first ICC global title will be a number of players who were part of the victorious 2010 side, including Blackwell, as well as Jess Cameron, Rachael Haynes, Julie Hunter, Alyssa Healy, Erin Osborne, Ellyse Perry, Lisa Sthalekar and Leah Poulton. The side is, however, without an experienced Shelley Nitschke who retired from international cricket in 2011. There is room, however, for youngsters such as Jess Jonassen (19), Meg Lanning (20) and Sarah Coyte (23) as Australia continue to pick squads with one eye on the future. Twice beaten finalist, New Zealand, who lost out to England in 2009 and Australia in 2010, will be captained by Suzie Bates who took over the side last year in June after the retirement of Aimee Watkins. She will be supported by the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 2010 Player of the Tournament, Nicola Browne, as well as Sophie Devine, Lucy Doolan, Sara McGlashan and Sian Ruck. Sri Lanka will be led by Shashikala Siriwardena while wicketkeeper-batter Dilani Manodara will be one of the players to watch out for alongside veteran Chamani Seneviratna and Inoka Galagedara.
West Indies will also be one of the main contenders, having made it to the semi-final last time round. The side includes ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year 2011 Stafanie Taylor and also features strong batters in Deandra Dottin, Juliana Nero and all-rounder Shanel Daley, while the bowling line-up includes in-form off-spinner Anisa Mohammed. Mithali Raj will captain India in a familiar-looking side that contains experienced players in Jhulan Goswami and Sulakshana Naik. The action gets underway in Galle on 26 September with the semi-finals and the final taking place at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on 4, 5 and 7 October.
All the women’s squads are listed below while the men’s squads were announced on 25 August.

Women’s squads
Australia: Jodie Fields (captain), Alex Blackwell, Jessica Cameron, Sarah Coyte, Lauren Ebsary, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy, Julie Hunter, Jess Jonassen, Meg Lanning, Erin Osborne, Ellyse Perry, Leah Poulton, Lisa Sthalekar.
England: Charlotte Edwards (captain), Tammy Beaumont, Arran Brindle, Katherine Brunt, Holly Colvin, Lydia Greenway, Jenny Gunn, Danielle Hazell, Heather Knight, Laura Marsh, Susie Rowe, Anya Shrubsole, Sarah Taylor, Danielle Wyatt.
India: Mithali Raj (captain), Ekta Bisht, Archana Das, Jhulan Goswami, Harmanpreet Kaur, Mona Meshram, Sulakshana Naik, Niranjana Nagarajan, Roshnara Parwin, Anuja Patil, Poonam Raut, Jaya Sharma, Shubhalaxmi Sharma, Gouher Sultana.
New Zealand: Suzie Bates (captain), Erin Bermingham, Kate Broadmore, Nicola Browne, Sophie Devine, Lucy Doolan, Sara McGlashan, France Mackay, Katey Martin, Morna Nielsen, Katie Perkins, Liz Perry, Sian Ruck, Amy Satterthwaite.
Pakistan: Sana Mir (captain), Nain Abidi, Elizabeth Barkat, Marina Iqbal, Qanita Jalil, Asmavia Khokhar, Bismah Mahroof, Bibi Nahida, Batool Naqvi, Nida Rashid, Jaweria Rauf, Sumaiya Siddiqui, Javeria Wadood, Sadia Yousaf.
South Africa: Mignon du Preez (captain), Susan Benade, Trisha Chetty, Dinesha Devarain, Shandre Fritz, Alison Hodgkinson, Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Marcia Letsoalo, Sunette Loubser, Suné Luus, Yolandi van der Westhuizen, Dane van Niekerk.
Sri Lanka: Shashikala Siriwardena (captain), Chamari Atapattu, Nilakshi de Silva, Sandamali Dolawatta, Inoka Galagedara, Eshani Kaushalya, Udeshika Prabodani, Inoka Ranaweera, Deepika Rasangika, Madhuri Samuddika, Chamani Seneviratna, Dilani Manodara, Prasadani Weerakkody, Sripali Weerakkody.
West Indies: Merissa Aguilleira (captain), Shermaine Campbelle, Britney Cooper, Shanel Daley, Deandra Dottin, Stacy-Ann King, Kycia Knight, Anisa Mohammed, Subrina Munroe, Juliana Nero, Shaquana Quinty, Shakera Selman, Tremayne Smartt, Stafanie Taylor.