The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has allowed Pakistan women’s captain Fatima Sana to miss the upcoming T20I leg of the tour of Sri Lanka in order to play a hundred for Birmingham Phoenix, marking a landmark moment in her career. According to Cricinfo, the PCB has issued a no-objection certificate (NOC) to the 24-year-old all-rounder, giving her priority for the England franchise while continuing to fulfill her ODI commitments with Pakistan.
ODI duties first, hundreds second
Sana will go on to lead Pakistan in the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka which will be crucial in the fight to qualify for the ICC Women’s Championship. However, overlapping schedules mean she will miss the Birmingham Phoenix’s first two games, scheduled for July 24 and July 26, before the ODI series ends in Hambantota on July 28.After the final ODI, Sana is expected to head straight to England and join Birmingham City Phoenix before the third match. Therefore, she will not take part in Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka starting from July 31.Sana’s signing with Birmingham Phoenix is a major milestone for women’s cricket in Pakistan as she became the first Pakistani woman cricketer to be awarded a contract in the hundred-match format. She was selected by Birmingham Phoenix on a minimum salary of £15,000 during the Centurion wild-card draft and was offered an overseas spot after Lucy Hamilton was withdrawn by Cricket Australia.
Birmingham Phoenix 2026 Women’s Roster
| player | rolls royce | Contract status/category |
|---|---|---|
| Elise Perry(C) | All-rounder | Reserved (Overseas – Australia) |
| Alice Capsey | All-rounder | Direct signature/retention |
| Lauren Filler | bowler | Direct signature/retention |
| Tammy Beaumont | opening batsman | auction proceeds |
| Lindsay Smith | bowler | auction proceeds |
| Alana King | Bowling all-rounder | Purchased at Auction (Overseas – Australia) |
| Emma Lamb | All-rounder | auction proceeds |
| Davina Perrin | top batsman | auction proceeds |
| Cordelia Griffith | top batsman | auction proceeds |
| Eva Gray | bowler | auction proceeds |
| Phoebe Brett | bowler | auction proceeds |
| Jemima Spence | wicketkeeper batsman | auction proceeds |
| Esme McGregor | bowler | auction proceeds |
| Annelie Dirksen | All-rounder | Purchased at auction (overseas – South Africa) |
| Eve O’Neill | bowler | auction proceeds |
| Fatima Sana | All-rounder | Vitality Wildcard Draft (Overseas – Pakistan) |
| mary tyler | All-rounder | Vitality Wildcard Draft |
| Lucy Hamilton | All-rounder | Withdrawal (Overseas – Australia) |
