Pakistan women’s head coach Wahab Riaz has insisted his side remain the “best team” in the ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2026 even after a chastening seven-wicket defeat to India, who bowled them out for 55 before racing to the target in 8.4 overs in the tournament’s ninth match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on 5 September 2026.
Wahab Riaz’s post-match comments came as Pakistan slumped to their lowest-ever total in women’s T20 internationals, dismissed in 18.1 overs against a disciplined Indian attack. India’s spin trio, Shree Charani and Prema Rawat with three wickets apiece, and Deepti Sharma with two, exploited the conditions to perfection, leaving only Shawaal Zulfiqar (14) and Muneeba Ali (13) with double-figure scores.
Yet the Pakistan coach struck a defiant tone. “I still believe Pakistan is the best side in this Asia Cup to lift the trophy because the conditions really suit us,” Riaz said, backing his squad to regroup and deliver in the knockout stages despite the heavy loss to Harmanpreet Kaur’s India. He urged the players to trust their abilities and promised a thorough review of the batting failures before the crucial clash with Hong Kong on 7 September.
Riaz’s confidence was matched by a firm defence of his selection policy. Questions over squad composition have surfaced, with captain Fatima Sana named in the official PCB Asia Cup roster while separate criticism of the process has been attributed to former skipper Sana Mir.
The coach argued that introducing new faces was a conscious, forward-looking decision. “We have made changes keeping future tournaments in mind,” he said, adding that several omitted players had featured in multiple World Cups and Asia Cups without delivering the desired results. For Riaz, the current project is about building a team that can sustain success beyond this edition.
India’s response was clinical. Chasing 56, they reached 57/3 in 8.4 overs to secure a dominant win that kept them unbeaten heading into the knockout stages of the tournament. The result underscored the gulf on the day, but Riaz maintained that Pakistan’s ceiling in the tournament remained high if they executed better under pressure.
The defeat has complicated Pakistan’s path to the last four. With two points from two matches, their upcoming fixture against Hong Kong on 7 September has become a virtual must-win encounter; another loss could end their campaign. Even so, Riaz’s message was one of resilience. He believes the Dubai conditions still favour Pakistan’s strengths and that the experience of this Asia Cup will sharpen a younger core for future assignments.
For now, the focus shifts to immediate correction, fixing the batting order’s fragility, restoring confidence, and converting potential into runs when the margin for error is smallest.
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