Do it for Fatima: Pakistan's pledge after tragic news

Pakistan have rallied around Fatima Sana, vowing to honour their captain's late father when they meet Australia on Friday in the T20 World Cup.

Sana, who at 22 years old is the youngest captain at the 2024 tournament, took the first available flight home to Karachi on Thursday after receiving the heartbreaking news of her father's death.

Opener Muneeba Ali will lead the team against Australia in her place, as Pakistan seek a historic first win over the tournament favourites to keep their own semi-final hopes alive.

"When we got to know about Fatima, we were very sad," Muneeba told reporters on Thursday.

"We will miss her as a captain and as a player, but we will try to win the match for her and her father.

"She also said that we have to play well ... it's a sad moment for her and as a team we are also feeling the same way, but we have come here to win the match, and we have to focus on that as well."

It was not yet clear on Thursday whether Sana would return for Pakistan's final group match against New Zealand on Monday.

Pakistan currently sit third on the table in Group A and need to win at least one, and preferably both, of their remaining matches to give themselves a shot at qualifying for the semi-finals.

They started their tournament with a solid victory over Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka, then suffered a six-wicket defeat to India in a setback for their finals aspirations.

Allrounder Sana, who replaced Nida Dar as captain in the lead-up to the tournament, was a standout for Pakistan in both matches, top-scoring with a 20-ball 30 and taking two crucial wickets, including that of Chamari Athapaththu, in their win over Sri Lanka.

She also claimed back-to-back wickets against India to briefly put a wobble into their fierce rivals' run chase.

"Fatima is our captain and the qualities she possesses in batting and bowling are very good and she gives our team a good balance," Muneeba said,

"Her departure will make a difference in our combination, but we have the resources to cover all the bases.

"We look at the strengths against every team and prepare for the match accordingly.

"We have discussed a lot about how to approach the game and we will try to get good results tomorrow.

"Australia is the world's number one side ... we don't have a lot to lose.

"If we win, it will be a historic moment for us to win against them."

2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup

Australia's Group A fixtures

October 5: beat Sri Lanka by six wickets

October 8: beat New Zealand by 60 runs

October 11: v Pakistan, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, 1am Oct 12 AEDT

October 13: v India, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, 1am Oct 14 AEDT

Finals

October 17: Semi-final 1, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, 1am Oct 18 AEDT

October 18: Semi-final 2, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, 1am Oct 19 AEDT

October 20: Final, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, 1am Oct 21 AEDT

For the full list of fixtures click here. All matches live and exclusive on Prime Video. Sign up here for a 30-day free trial