Birmingham, June 12, 2026: The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 gets underway on Friday evening at Birmingham, with hosts England taking on Sri Lanka in the opening match of the tournament’s 10th edition.
The expanded 12-team event, hosted by the England and Wales Cricket Board from June 12 to July 5, is the biggest Women’s T20 World Cup in history, featuring 33 matches across seven venues. The final is scheduled to be played at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London on July 5.
Pakistan will begin their campaign on Sunday, June 14, with a high-profile clash against arch-rivals India at Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham.
For the first time, the tournament features 12 teams, divided into two groups of six. The top two sides from each group will advance to the semi-finals, scheduled for June 30 and July 2.
Pakistan have been placed in Group 1 alongside Australia, India, South Africa, Bangladesh, and debutants Netherlands. Group 2 includes defending champions New Zealand, hosts England, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Ireland, and Scotland.
Pakistan’s squad includes a blend of experienced campaigners and emerging talent, with several players set to make their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup debut, including Eyman Fatima, Rameen Shamim, and Saira Jabeen.
Key players expected to play crucial roles include wicketkeeper-batter Muneeba Ali Siddiqui, opening batter Gull Feroza, all-rounders Aliya Riaz and Diana Baig, and spinners Nashra Sundhu, Sadia Iqbal, and Tuba Hassan. Iram Javed and Ayesha Zafar complete the 15-member squad.
Natalia Parvaiz and Tasmia Rubab, who were part of Pakistan’s previous World Cup squads, also bring valuable tournament experience.
Muneeba Ali Siddiqui remains Pakistan’s leading run-scorer in Women’s T20 World Cup history with 247 runs in 17 innings, including a century against Ireland in 2023 — the first-ever hundred by a Pakistan women’s player in T20 Internationals. Nashra Sundhu leads the bowling charts for Pakistan in the tournament with 16 wickets, including a best of 4 for 18 against Ireland in the same edition.
Pakistan’s preparations included bilateral series against South Africa and Zimbabwe, a Women’s T20I tri-series in Ireland featuring West Indies and the hosts, as well as warm-up matches against Sri Lanka and Scotland in Derby.
Following their opener against India, Pakistan will remain at Edgbaston to face South Africa on June 17 before traveling to Southampton to play Bangladesh on June 20. They will then meet Australia in Leeds on June 23, before concluding their group-stage campaign against the Netherlands in Bristol on June 27.
