'Express yourselves, play attacking cricket' - Pakistan head coach Wahab Riaz's message for Fatima Sana and Co. ahead of Women's T20 World Cup

Pakistan head coach Wahab Riaz has advised his players not to get overawed by the occasion of playing in the Women's T20 World Cup. Instead, the former pacer urged them to play attacking cricket.

The Women in Green, led by Fatima Sana, are placed in Group A alongside arch-rivals India, six-time champions Australia, South Africa, Bangladesh, and the Netherlands. While this is a very tough group to be in, Riaz has encouraged his players not to worry about the outcome and to express themselves instead.

“It is the dream of every player to play in a World Cup. I have told my players to go out there, enjoy themselves, express themselves and play attacking cricket, no matter what the outcome is," Wahab was quoted as saying by News18 CricketNext.

Pakistan have had a tough time since they reached the United Kingdom. They lost two matches during the tri-series in Ireland, one against the hosts and the other against the West Indies. Pakistan also suffered defeats in their warm-up games against Scotland and Sri Lanka. However, Riaz believes that the experience of playing these matches has helped his side get familiar with the conditions heading into the World Cup.

“Despite the results, the players have gained exposure by playing in Ireland and in the warm-up games before the World Cup. The weather is quite different from Pakistan, and the pitches also behave differently, but the players have been told not to worry and just play their natural game," he said.

Riaz opined that there is a great mixture of talented youngsters and experienced players in the Pakistan lineup, and it will be important for them to have belief in their abilities.

“In T20 cricket, any result is possible. We will go into every group match with the belief that we can win. We have a good combination of experienced players and talented youngsters. To succeed in a World Cup, you just have to keep faith in your ability regardless of the opponent," Riaz said.

The 40-year-old hoped that the pitches during the marquee event would have some assistance for the spinners. He asserted that spin-bowling is one of Pakistan's biggest strengths.

“We are hoping to get pitches that assist spinners because that is one of our strengths," the former fast bowler concluded.