Dubai, September 8, 2026: Left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu produced a record-breaking six-wicket spell as Pakistan defeated Hong Kong by 72 runs to secure a place in the semi-finals of the Women’s T20 Asia Cup at the Dubai International Stadium.
Pakistan bounced back strongly just 48 hours after their heavy defeat by India at the same venue, putting behind their batting collapse against their arch-rivals to produce a more convincing all-round performance.
Sent in to bat, Pakistan posted 143 for eight in their allotted 20 overs, with opener Shawaal Zulfiqar leading the way with a 35-ball 47. Ayesha Zafar contributed 26 from 19 balls, while captain Fatima Sana remained unbeaten on 24.
Hong Kong’s Joyleen Kaur was the standout bowler for her side, taking four wickets for 19 runs.
Pakistan’s bowlers, however, completely dominated the chase. Hong Kong were bowled out for 71 in the 19th over, with Nashra claiming six wickets for just seven runs in her four overs.
The spell was a landmark moment in Pakistan women’s cricket as Nashra became the first Pakistan bowler to take six wickets in a Women’s T20 International. Her 6/7 also surpassed Omaima Sohail’s previous Pakistani record of 5/13 against Sri Lanka in 2022.
Nashra’s figures also rank among the finest bowling performances in Women’s T20I history. Her 6/7 is currently the second-best figures by a bowler from an ICC Full Member nation in Women’s T20Is, behind Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu, who took 7/5 against Indonesia earlier in the 2026 Asia Cup.
The global record is even more extraordinary. Brazil’s Laura Cardoso claimed 9/4 against Lesotho in April 2026, becoming the first bowler, male or female, to take nine wickets in a T20 international.
Nashra’s figures also compare favourably with the leading performances in men’s T20Is. India’s Deepak Chahar took 6/7 against Bangladesh in 2019, while several associate-nation bowlers have produced seven- and eight-wicket hauls. Malaysia’s Syazrul Idrus holds the men’s T20I record with 7/8, while Bahrain’s Ali Dawood has taken 7/19.
Nashra’s six-for therefore puts her 6/7 on the same numerical level as one of the best full-member men’s T20I performances, although her achievement remains particularly significant for Pakistan women’s cricket because no Pakistani woman had previously taken six wickets in the format.
The 28-year-old spinner’s performance also continued a distinguished international career. She was Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker at the 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier, claiming 17 wickets at an average of 11.05, and has remained one of the country’s leading spin-bowling options across formats.
After the comfortable victory, Pakistan captain Fatima Sana cautioned her players against becoming complacent ahead of their semi-final against Sri Lanka.
“I think in the batting side we need more, like strike rotation in the batting, and we need more partnerships. And we will try to sit together and discuss these things,” Fatima said.
“We just go and sit together and discuss a lot of things before the semifinal because we know that it’s a knockout match, so we will try.”
Pakistan will face Sri Lanka in the second semi-final on Friday, September 11.
