Pakistan, led by skipper Fatima Sana, were up against Thailand, led by skipper Naruemol Chaiwai, in their campaign opener on 1st September at Dubai in the 5th match of the ongoing 6th edition of the ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup.
The Nigar Sultana Joty-led Bangladesh defeated tournament debutants Indonesia by 71 runs on 31st August 2026. The regular skipper Naruemol Chaiwai returned to lead her side, replacing Nannaphat Chaihan in the starting 11.
The Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana won the toss and opted to bat first, which came as a surprise to everyone. The Thailand new-ball bowlers reduced Pakistan to 23/3 inside the powerplay. Sadaf Shamas joined the opening batter Muneeba Ali at the crease, and the duo stitched a much-needed 54-run stand for the 4th wicket, leading a solid recovery.
Suleeporn Laomi broke the stand by sending Sadaf Shamas (20 off 20 balls) back to the pavilion in the 13th over of the innings; she landed another massive blow by dismissing the opposition skipper Fatima Sana for a two-ball duck in the same over to reduce Pakistan to 77/5 in 13 overs.
Handy partnerships of 13 for the 6th wicket between the wicket-keeper batter Muneeba Ali and Umm-e-Hani (17 off 15 balls), followed by a quick-fire 16-run stand between Tuba Hassan (12* off 4 balls) and Umm-e-Hani, took them past the 100-run mark, and they eventually posted 119/9 in their quota of 20 overs. The wicket-keeper batter Muneeba Ali registered a fighting half-century (54 off 52 balls) in challenging conditions.
Thipatcha Putthawong (4-1-18-3), Suleeporn Laomi (4-0-14-3), and Sunida Chaturongrattana (4-0-23-1) were the top performers with the ball for Thailand. Phannita Maya (4-0-34-2) played her part with the ball. The Thailand bowlers were super disciplined as they just conceded 1 extra in their innings.
Chasing a total of 120, the Pakistan left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal pushed the Naruemol Chaiwai-led side on the back foot by delivering a double-wicket maiden in the 2nd over of the run chase. Skipper Naruemol Chaiwai joined Nattakan Chantam at the crease, and the duo led the recovery with a much-needed 27-run stand for the 2nd wicket.
Nashra Sandhu broke the stand as she cleaned up the opening batter Nattakan Chantam (14 off 27 balls) in the 10th over of the innings to provide the crucial 3rd breakthrough for Pakistan. Another promising 28-run stand for the 5th wicket between Aphisara Suwanchonrathi (13 off 18 balls) and Chanida Sutthiruang (25 off 24 balls) revived the hopes of a memorable run chase in the Thailand camp.
Tuba Hassan broke the stand by sending Aphisara Suwanchonrathi back to the pavilion in the 17th over of the run chase, hammering the final nail in the coffin for Thailand. Skipper Naruemol Chaiwai (17 off 33 balls) played her part with the bat for her side. Thailand were eventually restricted to 84/8 in their quota of 20 overs, falling 35 runs short of the target.
Sadia Iqbal (4-1-11-3), Nashra Sandhu (4-1-6-1), Tuba Hassan (4-0-17-2) and skipper Fatima Sana (4-0-22-1) were the top performers with the ball for Pakistan. The wicket-keeper batter Muneeba Ali was awarded the Player of the Match for her match-defining half-century of 54 (52 balls) with the bat for her side. Her knock included 4 boundaries.
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