The India women's under-21 team will tour Pakistan later in September and become the first ever women's team from India to tour Pakistan. The tour will include four one-day matches to be played at Lahore.
"The Indian women's cricket team coming to Pakistan later this month will help lift the interest of women in cricket," Shamsa Hashmi, the secretary of the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) women's wing, was quoted as saying by AFP. "Since India's senior team is of a very good standard and we are new, we requested them to send their Under-21 team while we will play our national team."
To improve women's cricket in Pakistan, the PCB held its first national women's cricket championship and selected 35 probables from which a team will be selected next week. "The PCB has also proposed to the Asian Cricket Council an Asian cricket tournament in December with India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh joining Pakistan in the first women's Asia Cup," said Hashmi who praised President Pervez Musharraf's government for patronising women's sports in Pakistan. "President Musharraf's government has patronised women's sports which has encouraged Pakistani women. And since we follow strict dress codes of long trousers and shirts, no one has objection on our playing."