COLOMBO: Pakistan women’s cricket captain Fatima Sana has said that her team is solely ‘focused’ on the “game”.

Her remarks came ahead of the high-octane ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 match against arch-rivals India, scheduled to be played at the R Premadasa Stadium on Sunday.

The highly anticipated clash between fierce rivals is likely to mirror the tensions witnessed during the recent Asia Cup, where India’s men’s team faced backlash for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Earlier this week, Indian media hinted at the possibility of another handshake snub, heightened drama, and political undertones.

During Pakistan captain Fatima’s pre-match press conference, the ICC Media Manager refrained the reporters from asking political questions and also about the handshake controversy.

However, Fatima was still asked to share whether she would miss the spirit and camaraderie between the two teams, referencing their off-field interactions after their match at the 2022 edition of the mega event, when the Indian players surrounded then Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof and cooed over her six-month-old daughter.

Fatima, who was a part of the national team then, in response, reiterated Pakistan’s stance of fulfilling the spirit but stressed that their primary objective is to ‘stay focused’ on the game.

“Our main goal is to play well. Our relationship with the other teams is good. We will try to fulfil the spirit of the game,” said Fatima.

“What happened before, like with Bismah’s daughter, when everyone mingled and enjoyed together, as players, we all like such moments. But the main thing is to stay focused on what we have come here for,” she added.

The Pakistan captain also dismissed the notion of odds being against them as they trail India by 11-0 in their head-to-head record in the Women’s ODIs and instead stressed that her team has the potential to beat any top side, stating that the records are meant to be broken.

“Firstly, whatever records exist between India and Pakistan, they are meant to be broken. It’s not that Pakistan will never win against them,” Fatima stated.

“We believe in playing good cricket, regardless of who our opponent is. So we won’t dwell on history; we’ll focus only on the day we play. I personally believe that Pakistan has the potential to defeat any top team by playing well in any match. So, you can’t judge yourself with just one match. Everyone’s morale is high.”

Fatima Sana then went on to underline the importance of pressure handling in big games like Pakistan-India and reiterated that they are focused on the upcoming fixture.

“Of course, it’s a match with a lot of pressure. We know that the whole world is watching the India-Pakistan matches. But handling that pressure is the main thing. We will focus on that, play our game, and execute our plans,” Fatima continued.

“Coaches have told us to believe. You can’t define an entire tournament based on one match. We believe we can still win games.”

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has been among the most outspoken WNBA players to address the recent controversy surrounding Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. During her latest podcast episode, Cunningham continued to speak out, calling out the league boss for acting out of self-interest. 

Both on social media and during her exit interview on Wednesday, Cunningham spoke at length about her issues with Engelbert and league officiating.

“I’m just tired of our league. They need to step up and be better. Our leadership from top to bottom needs to be held accountable. I think there are a lot of people in positions of power in the WNBA, who they might be really great business people, but they don’t know s— about basketball. And that’s gotta change.” 

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In the latest episode of her podcast, “Show Me Something,” Cunningham expanded on her thoughts amid the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiations. 

“At the end of the day, everyone’s fed up – fed up with how the league is treating us.  

“They should be ashamed of themselves for what they’re giving back to us because it’s nothing. It is nothing. They’re not listening. The thing is, they’re not even engaging with us. It is bad.” 

Cunningham, whose first season with the Fever was cut short due to injury, again addressed Engelbert. She said Engelbert lacked the qualities of a “great leader,” and said that recent comments from the commissioner were out of self-interest. 

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) plays against the Phoenix Mercury during a WNBA game at PHX Arena in Phoenix, Arizona, on Aug. 7, 2025. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)

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“Great leaders want to see other people be more successful than them, they want to make sure that they’re cared for,” Cunningham said. “And I get it, she’s the business side of it. Like, I get it. But you can be respectful and treat your product – the product of why people are paying attention, why people are buying certain jerseys – treat your product with respect. 

“Like, be a great leader. She’s not. She’s not in any sense. The disrespect is just crazy to me.” 

“I think this just such a pivotal point in the WNBA because there’s so many eyes on us, there’s so many new fans – there’s millions of millions, I should say, of new fans – and at the end of the day she’s worried about her. In all of her statements it’s like, ‘Well, I got us here and I –,’ Cathy no one cares. Literally, no one cares.” 

Engelbert addressed the media Friday, and was asked about comments Napheesa Collier alleged she made about star player Caitlin Clark. Engelbert denied the accusations. 

Cathy Engelbert talks to the media during the 2024 WNBA Draft on April 15, 2024, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in Brooklyn, New York. (Melanie Fidler/NBAE via Getty Images)

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“Obviously, I did not make those comments. Caitlin has been a transformational player in this league. She’s been a great representative of the game. She’s brought in tens of millions of new fans to the game,” she said. 

“There’s a lot of inaccuracy out there through social media and all this reporting,” she later added. “A lot of reporting, a lot of inaccuracy about what I say, what I didn’t say.”

The players’ association and the WNBA agreed to an eight-year agreement in 2020, but last year the WNBPA voted to opt out of the agreement early. The current agreement is set to expire Oct. 31. 

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