Dubai, September 1: Pakistan commenced its campaign in the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 with a victory, defeating Thailand by 35 runs at the Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday.
Winning the toss, the Pakistani team opted to bat first but managed only 119 runs, losing 9 wickets in the process. They faced an early setback in the second over when Shawal Zulfiqar was dismissed for just 1 run. The team’s struggles continued as Gul Firoza also fell without scoring on the last ball of the same over.
From there, Muniba Ali partnered with Ayesha Zafar to add 17 runs for the third wicket. Ayesha contributed only 9 runs before Muniba Ali and Sadaf Shamas built a crucial partnership, scoring 54 runs off 48 balls for the fourth wicket, bringing the score to 77. However, they lost Sadaf (20) and captain Fatima Sana (0) in quick succession during the 12th over, leading to a series of wickets falling at regular intervals. Ultimately, Pakistan could only post 119 runs.
For Thailand, Thipacha Putthawong was the standout bowler, claiming 3 wickets for 18 runs, while Suliporn Laomi also took 3 wickets for just 14 runs. Additionally, Fanita Maya secured 2 wickets, and Sunida Chaturongrat achieved 1 wicket.
In response, Thailand struggled to reach 84 runs, losing 8 wickets in their 20 overs. Interestingly, like Pakistan, Thailand also lost their first two wickets in the second over, with their score mirroring Pakistan’s at ‘6’.
Nattakan Chantam and captain Naruemol Chaiwai managed to add 27 runs for the third wicket, with Chantam scoring 14 and Chaiwai contributing 17 runs. However, Thailand lost their fourth wicket at a score of 37. Afsara Suwanachonrathee tried to stabilize the innings with Chanida Suthiruang, adding 28 runs for the fifth wicket, but once that partnership broke, runs became hard to come by. Thailand ended their innings at 84/8.
For Pakistan, Sadia Iqbal was the star performer, taking 3 wickets for just 11 runs, while Tuba Hassan claimed 2 wickets. Fatima Sana and Nashra Sandhu each took 1 wicket.
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