INTERVIEW
Follow UsWhen you get an opportunity to talk to Nida Dar, you’d imagine that there would be a certain air around her.
Not that it is uncalled for, she is after all the highest wicket-taker in WT20I history with 143 scalps. If that’s not enough, she’s also Pakistan’s second-highest run-scorer and is one of only three Pakistani batters, Bismah Maroof and Javeria Khan being the others, with over 2000 runs (2044).
But, the candour with which she took on the questions was pleasantly surprising. Be it her experiences in international cricket, the evolution of women’s cricket in Pakistan, or addressing the elephant in the room - the 11th-hour change of skipper.
With the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) opting for Fatima Sana as her successor to Pakistan’s captaincy, Nida did not hold back on her praise for the 23-year-old.
“This is a great opportunity for Fatima as a youngster to perform at the biggest stage possible. Even in the last series against SA, she performed really well and seemed very much at ease with the additional responsibility," Dar told Cricket.com in an exclusive interview.
“From my end, she will always have my complete support. Whatever experience I have gained while playing the sport, I will try my best to share it. She has it in her to become one of Pakistan’s greatest-ever female cricketers, and is also coming in with the rare experience of overseas leagues, which will be very helpful.”
Further, she was happy to clarify that the absence of the tag of “captaincy” did not mean she had relinquished her leadership duties. As the senior-most player in the setup, she was very much the leader of the side.
“It helps that our girls listen. They listen to each other, they listen to me, and they are willing to try and take it in their stride.”
If anything, she is now in a much better position to contribute to the side as a player.
“That way, it is a bit different to play under someone now compared to, say, 10 years ago. Back then, I would only be focussed on my game and how I could give my best contribution. Now, you know a lot more about your teammates - their strengths and their weaknesses. Naturally, you’d begin to think about all of this as well.”
The clear emphasis on making all-rounders out of their batters and bowlers has been there for all to see. Be it top-order batter Omaima Sohail, who began to develop her off-breaks to become more valuable to her side, or leg-spinner Tuba Hassan, who has been working hard on her batting for the last few months.
“We should have probably worked on this earlier, but once we started getting access to better facilities, it became easier to pick up new skills and add more feathers to our hats.
“Even if you look at batting, our batters have not grown up playing attacking cricket. The reasons are several - lack of power, not enough game time against quality bowlers, uneven surfaces, etc. Now, with surfaces getting flatter, that goes a long way with helping them. We also need to improve our hitting abilities to stay in the game.”
Of course, all of this makes sense when there is a marked improvement in their players and side’s performances. In the last 12 months, this Pakistani side has defeated South Africa at home, and also won their first-ever series against New Zealand away.
The results have meant that conversations around playing more matches and getting much-needed game time are gaining momentum. The recognition that their women’s team is now reaching a place where they can win matches and compete in tournaments has gone a long way in helping them.
This is where, Nida feels, telecasting women’s cricket matches has come to the fore.
“Because our games are being telecast, there are more eyeballs on us. People now recognize the team. For the longest time, people would recognize only two or three of the most prominent members. There’s been a big shift on that front, with us getting recognized by name, sometimes by face as well.”
PCB hasn’t been too bad themselves. The introduction of domestic contracts has also encouraged more players to take up the sport. They were also one of the boards globally to announce a parental support policy for their players, with women cricketers being eligible for up to 12 months of paid leave upon the birth of a child.
A lot of this was about cricketers back home learning and honing their skills. And despite being their most experienced player, Nida goes through the same rigor herself. However, learning does not have to happen internally, you can take inspiration from your opponents - especially ones you don’t get to play often enough.
Having been left out of the 2017 Women’s ODI World Cup, Nida was busy working hard to make a comeback. She still didn’t miss a chance to watch the World Cup.
The axing proved beneficial in different ways. Since becoming a consistent performer for her side, this was the first time she had watched an entire edition closely on TV.
And that’s where she found her inspiration.
“Deepti Sharma is an inspiration for me. I was impressed with her batting abilities and just enjoyed watching her bat. In that sense, it gave me the belief that I can win games for my team with the bat.”
Having always been known for her attacking instincts, Nida was one of those with good ball-striking ability, a rare commodity in this part of the world even today.
Constantly playing international cricket since her debut till the 2017 World Cup, batting for her had always meant a chance to emulate her idol Shahid Afridi. The idea was to attack the ball, and then see where that took her.
“I’d never given much thought to innings construction, playing the ball on merit, targeting the bowler, and stuff like that”
“That World Cup made me realize that as an all-rounder, I also need to shoulder batting responsibilities. I had been doing well with the ball and was content with that. Watching her, I was also inspired to work on my batting and improve it.
“I’ve never really spoken about this to anyone - not even Deepti - but I learnt this from her.“
As part of one of the better spin attacks in the tournament, Nida will have the support of her fellow spinners. As has been the case before, Pakistan will rely on their slower bowlers to exploit the sticky surfaces of Dubai and Sharjah.
“Sadia (Iqbal) is world #3, and Nashra (Sandhu) has also been a solid performer for us. And we have (Syeda) Arooba Shah and Tuba Hassan in terms of wrist spin options. Tuba is a thinker. She has good game sense, and she talks a lot about her game. She asks a lot of questions, and that’s the best part about her.
“So, our spin reserve is well-stocked, first XI options or bench strength.”
This being Nida’s eighth appearance in a T20 World Cup, she is excited to have an impact on the World Cup and help shine some light on Pakistan. By her own admission, the team has been “enjoying each other’s success”.
The way they rallied each other during their win against Sri Lanka will keep them in good stead when they take on arch-rivals India tomorrow.
Nida turns 38 in less than 3 months, and this could potentially be her last time featuring in a T20 World Cup. As fans gear up for yet another India-Pakistan encounter, Nida will be preparing herself to make it count one more time.
*Last images courtesy Nida Dar's Instagram account (@cooldar8)
