Pakistan women's team skipper Javeria Khan feels the upcoming five ODIs against West Indies will help the visitors finalise the squad ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.
The Pakistan team's preparation for the ICC women's World Cup qualifier and the next year's World Cup commence from Wednesday when they take on West Indies in the first of the five ODIs at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.
"Certainly, these five matches are very important. They will help us in finalising our combinations ahead of the World Cup Qualifiers and the all-important Women's World Cup next year," said Javeria in a statement issued by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
"Our goal is to ensure that our batting clicks and every batter performs to the fullest of their potential. These three T20Is have helped us to gauge what the conditions demand from the batters.
"I am hopeful that we will do well in the ODIs and the batters will handle the pressure well and remain calm in crunch situations," she added.
West Indies skipper Stafanie Taylor picked four wickets before hitting 43 runs as hosts defeated Pakistan by six wickets in the third and final T20I to clinch the series 3-0.
"Of course, there is disappointment on the 3-0 loss in the T20Is. The players had worked hard in the lead-up to this series, especially as a batting unit. We could not stand out as a fielding unit, but our bowling was a positive as it improved as the series progressed," said the Pakistan skipper.
All-rounders Aliya Riaz and Nida Dar were amongst the top-three run-getters in the three ODIs against South Africa, which the hosts won, and Pakistan will be banking on their experience.
Aliya amassed 136 runs at an average of over 45 to finish as the top-scorer, while Nida struck two half-centuries to gather 124 runs at a staggering 62 runs per innings and finished as the third-highest run-getter.
Pacer Diana Baig impressed with nine wickets from three innings -- which included her career-best four for 30. She was outstanding in the third T20I against West Indies on Sunday both in the field and with the ball.
"Nida and Anam Amin were quite good and played a crucial role in drying up the runs for the opposition," said Javeria.
"Fatima Sana, despite being young, has shown her potential by handling the pressure well in tough situations. Diana bowled brilliantly in the last match," she added.
Including the first ODI, the Coolidge Cricket Ground will host the second and fifth ODIs on July 9 and 18, and the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium will host the third and fourth fixtures on July 12 and 15.
( With inputs from ANI )
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