{"id":22028,"date":"2025-10-05T12:04:17","date_gmt":"2025-10-05T12:04:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=22028"},"modified":"2025-10-05T12:04:17","modified_gmt":"2025-10-05T12:04:17","slug":"outside-noise-doesnt-matter-fatima-sana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=22028","title":{"rendered":"Outside noise doesn\u2019t matter: Fatima Sana"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>Pakistan captain Fatima Sana insists her team will remain unfazed by the political undertones surrounding their Women\u2019s World Cup clash against India in Colombo on Sunday, saying their focus will stay firmly on cricket.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The high-voltage fixture comes barely a week after the men\u2019s Asia Cup, where Indian players reportedly refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts after all three matches.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The post-final ceremony too was marked by tension, as India declined to receive the trophy from Asian Cricket Council president Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan\u2019s interior minister.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The strained atmosphere follows a military conflict between the two countries in May, which plunged diplomatic relations to a new low.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We Will Focus On Cricket, Not Outside Noise\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Responding to questions about the possibility of a handshake boycott in Sunday\u2019s encounter, Sana remained composed.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe will focus on cricket, and what is there in terms of outside noise will not be on our minds,\u201d she told Telecom Asia Sports.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sources told Telecom Asia Sports that Pakistan\u2019s team management has advised players to offer handshakes if reciprocated, but not to insist should the Indian team decline.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sana acknowledged that her players are mentally prepared for any situation after observing the events at the men\u2019s Asia Cup.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe saw what happened in the Asia Cup, so we are ready for everything,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>India Dominant In Head-To-Head Record<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>On paper, India holds a commanding edge. The two teams have met 11 times in ODIs, with the Women in Blue winning on all occasions. Their last meeting came in the 2022 World Cup, when India thrashed Pakistan by 107 runs at Mount Maunganui.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Like in the men\u2019s game, the arch-rivals only meet in multinational tournaments, with bilateral series off the table due to political tensions.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Despite the history, Sana remains optimistic.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have that power game that can give us a win against any team in the tournament,\u201d she said. \u201cWe lost our first game, but it\u2019s the beginning of the event. We\u2019ll stage a comeback.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Memories of warmth and friendship<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Amid the growing frost in cricketing ties, Sana fondly recalled the camaraderie between the two sides during the 2022 World Cup in New Zealand, when several Indian players were seen playing with then Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof\u2019s toddler, Fatima.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThose were great pictures from the past \u2014 everyone mingling around Bismah\u2019s daughter. Those scenes looked good, and everyone enjoyed seeing that,\u201d Sana said. \u201cBut our focus now is on what we\u2019re here for \u2014 to play.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Bismah Maroof: \u2018Traditions of friendship must live on\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Former Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof, who retired last year after an 18-year international career, urged both teams to uphold the spirit of the game despite political differences.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI recall with great cherish how Indian players mingled with my daughter in 2022,\u201d Maroof told a Pakistani channel.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know things have changed, but traditions don\u2019t change. Our culture values friendship and hospitality, and I hope both teams keep those traditions alive.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pakistan captain Fatima Sana insists her team will remain unfazed by the political undertones surrounding their Women\u2019s World Cup clash against India in Colombo on Sunday, saying their focus will stay firmly on cricket. \u00a0 The high-voltage fixture comes barely a week after the men\u2019s Asia Cup, where Indian players reportedly refused to shake hands [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22028"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22028\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}