Shawaal Zulfiqar

Shawaal Zulfiqar News

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Explore the journey of cricketer Shawaal Zulfiqar with exclusive insights into her training discipline and the determination that fuels her performances.

International career

Shawaal Zulfiqar (born 27 June 2005) is a Pakistani cricketer who plays as a right-handed batter and right-arm off-break bowler. She made her T20I debut for Pakistan against Bangladesh on 29 October 2023 in Chattogram and played her first WODI on 3 November 2023 against the same opponent at Mirpur.

• WODI Matches
• Debut: SA Women vs PAK Women at Karachi – September 8, 2023
• Last: PAK Women vs SA Women at Lahore – September 16, 2025
• WT20I Matches
• Debut: SA Women vs PAK Women at Karachi – September 1, 2023
• Last: IRE Women vs PAK Women at Dublin – August 10, 2025
• 2023: Shawaal Zulfiqar started her international path by representing Pakistan in the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa. In August, she earned her first senior team call-up for the home T20I series against South Africa. She made her WT20I debut on September 1 in Karachi and her WODI debut a week later on September 8. Later that month, she took part in the 2022 Asian Games (held in 2023) in Hangzhou, where Pakistan lost the bronze medal match to Bangladesh by one run.
• 2024: She missed almost the entire year after sustaining a shoulder injury during the 2023 tour of New Zealand. Recovery and rehabilitation took several months, delaying her return to international cricket.
• 2025 (early months): In March, she was recalled to the national side and played in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Pakistan. She featured in matches against Thailand and Bangladesh in April, helping Pakistan secure a spot in the main tournament.
• 2025 (mid-year): Shawaal toured Ireland for a three-match T20I series from August 6–10. Although Pakistan lost the series 2–1, she recorded her highest T20I score of 33 off 27 balls on August 8 in Dublin. Her performance drew praise for composure and shot selection.
• 2025 (late year): She returned to the ODI lineup for the home series against South Africa in Lahore. After being dismissed for zero in the first match, she recovered form and contributed runs in Pakistan’s lone victory of the series. In October, she was named in Pakistan’s squad for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. On October 15, before the England match in Colombo, a moment of silence was held for her late father, Zulfiqar Ahmad. The match was later abandoned due to rain.

By October 2025, Shawaal had appeared in both WODIs and WT20Is for Pakistan and had taken part in major events including the 2023 U19 Women’s T20 World Cup, the 2023 Asian Games, the 2025 World Cup Qualifier, and the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.

Leagues Participation

Shawaal Zulfiqar has not yet participated in any professional or franchise cricket leagues.

Domestic career

Shawaal Zulfiqar began her domestic career in 2022, the same year the PCB formally launched the national women’s U19 structure. She captained Central Punjab Women Under-19 in the inaugural U19 T20 Tournament and became one of Pakistan’s most promising young batters. Across five innings, she scored 172 runs at an average of 86.00, including an unbeaten 86 in the semifinal against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, guiding her team to the title. These results are verified through official PCB statistics and national cricket reports.

Later in 2022, she advanced to the PCB’s senior development tier, first joining the Conquerors and then moving to the PCB Blasters, one of the four senior teams. In 2023, she represented the PCB Strikers in the Pakistan Cup Women’s T20 Tournament and recorded a key performance of 74 off 52 balls against PCB Challengers. By the 2023/24 season, she had become a regular in top domestic competitions, including both T20 and one-day formats.

In December 2024, Shawaal played for PCB Challengers in the National Women’s One-Day Tournament, scoring 58 from 78 balls against the Stars — a game that ended in a tied result before being settled in a Super Over. She also bowled a short spell, confirming her role as a genuine all-rounder.

During the 2024/25 T20 phase, she continued to play for PCB Challengers in the main domestic competition, consistently featuring in the starting XI. Her official PCB record includes appearances for Pakistan Women U19, Pakistan A Women, PCB Blasters, PCB Strikers, PCB Challengers, Central Punjab Women U19, and Conquerors. These performances trace her steady development from youth cricket to senior domestic prominence within Pakistan’s women’s system.

Records and achievements

Shawaal Zulfiqar’s cricket journey has progressed quickly through Pakistan’s domestic and international ranks.

• Listed by the PCB among her major domestic and representative teams: Pakistan Women Under-19s, Pakistan A Women, Pakistan Women, Northern Renegades, PCB Blasters, Central Punjab Women Under-19s, Conquerors, Super Women, PCB Strikers, and PCB Challengers.
• Made her WT20I debut on September 1, 2023, against South Africa in Karachi.
• Made her WODI debut on September 8, 2023, against South Africa in Karachi.
• Represented Pakistan in the ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 held in South Africa.
• Selected for the 2022 Asian Games (played in 2023) as part of the senior Pakistan Women’s squad.
• Awarded her first PCB central contract in August 2023, officially recognizing her as a national-level professional cricketer.
• According to ICC’s official player statistics (as of preparation for the 2025 Women’s World Cup): ODI batting average of 3.75, strike rate 31.25, and highest score 7.
• Female Cricket and CricketWorld publications highlighted her as one of the notable emerging players ahead of the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025.

Personal life

Shawaal Zulfiqar is one of the youngest professional cricketers in Pakistan’s women’s setup. Despite her rising profile, she keeps her private life away from public attention.

Finance

She received her first Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) central contract on August 29, 2023, under the Emerging (Category D) tier for a 23-month period covering August 2023 to June 2025. Although her name did not appear in the 2024–25 renewal list, she remained eligible for national selection. In the following season, 2025–26, the PCB reinstated her in the Emerging category and raised retainers for women’s players by around 50 percent. No verified data exists on her personal income or total earnings beyond official contract details.

Family

Her father, Zulfiqar Ahmad, passed away in Sialkot in 2025. The PCB and multiple news outlets, including Dawn and Hindustan Times, confirmed the news, noting that both the Pakistan and England teams held a moment of silence before the Women’s World Cup match in Colombo on October 15, 2025. Information about her mother or siblings is not available. There are also no confirmed reports of marriage or children.

Scandals

There are no records of controversies, disciplinary issues, or off-field incidents linked to her.

Fans

Her verified Instagram account, @shawaal_zulfiqar_official, has over 5.4K followers as of October 2025. She is often featured on PCB and ICC social media pages, with posts highlighting her training sessions, interviews, and national team appearances.