Nida Dar's WBBL stint cut short

Nida Dar, the mercurial allrounder from Pakistan and Sydney Thunder overseas signing for the fifth season of the Women's Big Bash League, has been recalled by Pakistan Cricket Board to partake in the training camp ahead of the team's limited overs series against England in the month of December. Dar created history becoming the first Pakistani woman to play in an overseas T20 league when she made her debut for Thunder .

The allrounder had a good outing in the lime green jersey, topping the bowling charts for her team with 13 scalps, and also scoring 99 runs. Her tally included an incredible knock of 43 that almost took Thunder over the line in a thrilling encounter against Perth Scorchers.

Following her stint in the league, Dar is now confident that PCB will encourage more players from the country to follow her lead.

“I am pretty sure they will have a look at my performances in the WBBL and see that this is a pathway,” Dar said before flying out of Australia on Monday (November 25). “When I go back, I will share my experiences and what I got from being here."

“My bowling has really improved; I got a lot of good spells here. I also learnt how to bat and I have a new shot that I never played: the lap shot."

“It was good for me that I could experience these things and that I can now share them. It has been very helpful for me," she concluded.

All the cricket-related learnings aside, Dar said what she cherished the most during her stint with Thunder were the relationships she built with some of the best players in the world.

“I will remember how I was made to feel as though I was in a family at Sydney Thunder,” said Dar. “People were always asking if there was anything I needed, or if I needed help with anything."

“I have gained a lot of experience from our coaching staff and learnt a lot from Rachael Alex , ‘Priesty’ and Shabnim ."

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Most Valuable person i ever had as a teammate and as a mentor, thanx @alexjoyblackwell for having me at dinner. Love your everything about you.👌May Allah give you more strength and power to serve people🤲 #hobart #saffronindianrestaurant #wbbl05

A post shared by Nida Rashid Dar (@cooldar8) on Nov 23, 2019 at 3:00am PST

The 32-year-old is confident that she will now be able to help her teammates back home with the knowledge she has gained of Australian conditions.

“I really want to come again. The next time will be for the T20 World Cup and I can tell the players about the conditions here.”  

Trevor Griffin, head coach of Thunder, said he was proud of the fact that Dar quickly acclimatized to the conditions that were very different from what she is used to back home.

“Nida has been great for us,” he said. “The pitches in Australia are very different to what Nida is used to, and she’s had to adapt her game. I’ve found her great to work with because she’s wanted to learn. Nida has given her all on and off the field. She certainly did her nation proud.”

Dar will join Pakistan's pre-series training camp immediately, after which the selected squad will begin their series against England in Malaysia on December 9.