Maroof wants sports, politics to be separate; prefers home venue to a neutral one

Bismah Maroof expressed her disappointment
at Pakistan not being able to play India in the ICC Women’s Championship, due
to the drastic breakdown of diplomatic ties between the countries. Twice now,
the neighbouring nations haven’t played each other in the championship, with
the Board of Control for Cricket in India refusing to play at a neutral venue.

“India is a top side and we want to play
them and I think they should keep sports away from politics,” said the Pakistan
captain.

Maroof, who recently went past 2000 T20I
runs in the series against Bangladesh, said that she would have preferred
playing England at home instead of a neutral venue.

“This is something our board handles, so we
have prepared for the challenge in Malaysia. We have made good preparations and
I think we can surprise the English team and gain points,” said the 28-year-old.

“It is a disadvantage because we lose home
advantage and if we can play at home regularly against visiting teams, it will
only help promote and raise standards of our women’s cricket.”

Maroof, who was recently appointed the skipper of Pakistan until the T20 World Cup next year, backed Sana Mir’s decision to take a break from cricket, even though it is tough to fill her void.

“Sana is an experienced performer and we
will miss her. But it is her personal decision to take a break,” she said. “We
have to just ensure that the new girls come through well.” She said it was a
bit disappointed that the Pakistan Cricket Board had taken the call to not
award her the top category in the central contracts list.

Mir would miss the three ODIs of the ICC Championship against England, while the three T20Is post that against the same side would help Pakistan prepare for the T20 World Cup next year.