'Came for the World Cup, but staying in the room with husband'; infighting erupts in Pakistan women's team

LONDON: Pakistan's women's team is struggling with consecutive defeats in the ongoing Women's T20 World Cup, and an internal dispute has added to the team's concerns. The issue reportedly involves captain Fatima Sana and senior player Aliya Riaz.

According to reports, Fatima was unhappy with Aliya staying with her husband during the tournament instead of sharing accommodation with her teammates. She reportedly objected to Aliya’s husband, Ali Younis, staying at the team hotel and asked him to vacate the room. Following the incident, Aliya Riaz allegedly missed a training session on the eve of Pakistan’s match against Bangladesh and went sightseeing with her husband. The reported disagreement between the two senior players comes at a difficult time for Pakistan, who are yet to register a victory in the tournament.

Reports also claim that Fatima was against Aliya’s inclusion in the playing XI for the match against Bangladesh. However, the senior all-rounder was selected after interim coach Wahab Riaz supported her inclusion.

The disagreement over team selection reportedly led to a heated exchange between Fatima Sana and Wahab Riaz. Sources claimed that after Pakistan’s defeat against Bangladesh, Fatima confronted Wahab in front of the team and held him responsible for the loss.

The developments are believed to have created divisions within the Pakistan women's team, with some players supporting the captain and others backing the coach. Internal disputes during periods of poor performance are not new in Pakistan cricket, with similar issues having surfaced in the men's team as well.