Lahore, August 16, 2026: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday announced the national women’s squads for the ACC Women’s Asia Cup 2026 and the 20th Asian Games, with Fatima Sana returning as captain for both tournaments.
Fatima will resume the leadership role after missing Pakistan’s recent T20I series against Sri Lanka due to her commitments in The Hundred.
The eight-team ACC Women’s Asia Cup will be played in Dubai from August 28 to September 13. Pakistan have been placed in Group A alongside arch-rivals India, Thailand and Hong Kong, China, while Group B comprises Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia.
Pakistan will open their campaign against Thailand on September 1 before taking on India on September 5 and Hong Kong, China, on September 7. The semi-finals are scheduled for September 10 and 11, with the final set for September 13.
Following the Asia Cup, Pakistan will travel to Japan for the women’s cricket competition at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi prefecture. Pakistan, seeded alongside Thailand, will face Thailand in the fourth quarter-final on September 17.
A victory would send Pakistan into the semi-finals on September 20, where they would face either Sri Lanka or Malaysia. The bronze-medal and gold-medal matches are scheduled for September 22.
Pakistan have enjoyed considerable success in women’s cricket at the Asian Games, winning gold medals in the 2010 and 2014 editions before finishing fourth at the 2022 Games.
The squads for both tournaments largely retain the same core of players. Fatima Sana will be joined in both competitions by Muneeba Ali Siddiqui, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Ayesha Zafar, Gull Feroza, Saira Jabeen, Eyman Fatima, Eman Naseer, Umm-e-Hani, Tuba Hassan, Nashra Sundhu and Momina Riasat.
Najiha Alvi, Waheeda Akhtar and Sadia Iqbal have been selected for the Asia Cup, while Aliya Riaz, Tasmia Rubab and Humna Bilal have been included in the Asian Games squad.
The national women’s team will hold a training camp at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore from August 16 to 25 ahead of the two tournaments.
Asia Cup squad: Fatima Sana (captain), Ayesha Zafar, Eman Naseer, Eyman Fatima, Gull Feroza, Momina Riasat, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui (wicketkeeper), Najiha Alvi, Nashra Sundhu, Sadia Iqbal, Saira Jabeen, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani and Waheeda Akhtar.
20th Asian Games squad: Fatima Sana (captain), Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Zafar, Eman Naseer, Eyman Fatima, Gull Feroza, Humna Bilal, Momina Riasat, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui (wicketkeeper), Nashra Sundhu, Saira Jabeen, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba Hassan and Umm-e-Hani.
Pakistan’s Asia Cup campaign will begin against Thailand on September 1, followed by matches against India on September 5 and Hong Kong, China, on September 7. The semi-finals will be held on September 10 and 11, with the final on September 13.
At the Asian Games, Pakistan will face Thailand in the quarter-final on September 17, followed by the semi-finals on September 20 and the bronze-medal and gold-medal matches on September 22.
