Pakistan coach Wahab Riaz was left very disappointed after watching his side lose to Bangladesh in Southampton on Saturday, June 21, as their hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 came to an end.
Pakistan were unable to chase Bangladesh’s total of 123/6 at the Hampshire Bowl and suffered a 23-run defeat. It was their third straight loss of the tournament, meaning they can no longer qualify for the knockout stage.
Bangladesh were helped by an excellent unbeaten knock from Player of the Match Shorna Akter, who scored 39 not out from 22 balls. Captain Nigar Sultana added 36 from 38 deliveries, while Sobhana Mostary contributed 22 from 19 balls. For Pakistan, captain Fatima Sana was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2/18 from her four overs.
In reply, Pakistan finished on 100/8 from their 20 overs. Muneeba Ali scored 25 from 30 balls and Gull Feroza made 23 from 18 deliveries, but the middle order failed to keep the chase on track. Nahida Akter and Sanjida Akter Meghla starred with three wickets each as Bangladesh completed an important victory.
While Pakistan showed some good moments during their first three matches of the tournament, Wahab believes the team let themselves down when the pressure increased.
“It is very disappointing to be out of the World Cup because from our point of view, I still think that no other team has beaten you,” Wahab said.
“It’s you yourself who has got beaten by the other teams.
“So, I think that is a big difference when the other teams try to put up a good show and they beat you.
“But I think unfortunately in the last three games, we were not up to the mark, and it was us who gave the games away.”
Pakistan appeared to be in a strong position during the chase after Muneeba Ali and Gull Feroza put together an opening partnership of 49 runs. The pair gave their side a solid start and kept the required run rate under control.
However, once the opening stand was broken, Pakistan lost wickets regularly and struggled to build partnerships. Fatima Sana scored 10 runs, but no batter was able to play the big innings needed to take the team home.
Wahab felt the senior players needed to take more responsibility when the match was there to be won.
“It’s about— it’s cricket, it’s a competition,” Wahab said.
“You can’t let things go when you have everything in your hand and then at the end you just let the things go away easily.
“I think you should work hard, or the other team should work hard to take the game away from you.
“I think everybody who will be watching, even we were thinking that we are going on at the right pace with the right runs on the board, scores on the board.
“But suddenly again, it’s a collapse. I think the senior players have to take the responsibility.
“You cannot let them go away like this, that they come in and they need to read the situation well.
“It was just six an over. It was under six an over, I would say. But again, the execution is not right. They have to take the responsibility. The players have to step up.”
Pakistan will now look to finish their campaign on a positive note when they face six-time champions Australia in Leeds on Tuesday, June 24, before taking on Netherlands Women in their final group-stage match on Saturday, June 28.
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