Fatima Sana to skip Sri Lanka T20Is to play in women's Hundred

Fatima Sana has been granted permission by the PCB to play for Birmingham Phoenix in the women's Hundred while missing the T20I portion of Pakistan's tour of Sri Lanka. Sana will play in the ODI portion of the tour, which is part of the Women's Championship, so she won't be able to participate in Phoenix's first two games in the Hundred, which starts on July 21. Sana will travel from Hambantota to England to participate in the remainder of the Hundred after the ODI series concludes on July 28. Sana, the captain of Pakistan, became the first woman from her country to be selected by a Hundred team last month when she was acquired by Phoenix in the wildcard draft for a minimum salary of £15,000 as a replacement for Lucy Hamilton, who was selected by Australia. Hamilton was the team's player of the year in that country. In a T20 World Cup match the day before the draft, Sana gave a stunning all-round performance, scoring 3 for 16 and scoring 55 not out off 38 balls as Pakistan defeated South Africa. Sana, 24, was Pakistan's only bright spot during their disappointing World Cup campaign, in which they won only one of their five matches (against the Netherlands) and finished fifth in their six-team group. She had the most wickets for a fast bowler at the tournament, 11 at an economy of 6.95. Overall, she was the second-highest wicket-taker, joint with Australia captain Sophie Molineux, with India's N Shree Charani at the top with 14. After representing Barbados Royals in the women's CPL in September 2022 and Canterbury in the women's Super Smash in December 2023, this will be Sana's third overseas domestic T20 tournament. According to a PCB official who spoke with Cricinfo, the decision to allow her to miss the three Sri Lanka T20Is was made so that she could gain experience playing in a competitive Hundred setting.