An 18-year-old Pakistani women’s cricket player, Ayesha Naseem, has reportedly announced her resignation from the sport for religious grounds. Ayesha has played in four ODIs and thirty T20 Internationals so far. She bats in the top order and has scored 369 runs in T20Is, averaging 18.45 runs per game. She has a total of 33 runs in ODIs.

In Pakistan’s match against India at the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup, Ayesha struck a 43 in 25 balls. Ayesha has already informed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) about her choice, according to a report in Cricket Pakistan.

In June 2021, she caught everyone’s notice as she scored a 33-ball 45* against the West Indies. Then, in May of the same year, she replicated that total in a T20I match in Karachi against Sri Lanka, this time doing so in just 31 balls.

She played a quick-fire knock against Australia in January 2023. In just 20 balls, she scored 24 runs, including three sixes and a four. She was hailed as a “serious talent” by former Pakistani captain Wasim Akram.

Meanwhile, the schedule for the Asia Cup 2023 was unveiled on Wednesday, and India and Pakistan will square off on September 2 in Kandy, Sri Lanka, for their Group A match. But there’s a chance that’s not the only instance in which the two teams may clash during the competition. In both groups, the top two teams advance to the Super Fours stage, where each team plays the other once.

Regardless of where they finish in the group stages, Pakistan and India will be assigned to teams A1 and A2, respectively, according to a statement made by Asian Cricket Council (ACC) head Jay Shah. As a result, on September 10 in Colombo, if both teams can advance from Group A, they will compete in the Super Fours round. If India and Pakistan can secure their spots in the summit match, they will square off for the third time in the competition on September 17. The top two teams from the Super Fours stage will advance to the tournament’s final. The game will be held in Colombo’s Premadasa Stadium. The six-team ODI competition, which serves as a qualifier for the ICC World Cup, will begin.