BIRMINGHAM: Pakistan captain Fatima Sana rallied behind her “young” team-mates following their heavy 64-run loss to arch-rivals India in the high-octane sixth match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 at Edgbaston on Sunday.
Opting to bat first, India amassed a mammoth total of 170/6 in their 20 overs, aided by Smriti Mandhana’s anchoring half-century and a scintillating cameo from back-order wicketkeeper batsman Richa Ghosh.
At the end of 18 overs, India were reeling at 132/5 but added 38 runs in the last two overs off the bowling of Tasmiya Rupab and captain Fatima respectively.
Reflecting on her team’s performance following the defeat in the opening match of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, Fatima insisted that the green shirts looked good until the last few overs.
He also insisted that a slow-over-rate penalty affected the course of play at the back end of India’s innings, as they had an extra fielder inside the circle, before shielding his young side from defeat against traditional rivals.
“We were good till the last few overs, but we were sloppy. An extra fielder also affected us,” Fatima said in the post-match presentation.
“It could be because of the left-right combination. It’s a young side and they will learn,” he added.
Chasing a tough 171-run target, Pakistan could muster 106 for 17 overs and Fatima, ducked in three balls, termed their performance in the department as “disappointing” and called for the batting unit to step up.
“The batting side was very disappointing. We need to improve as we have a long way to go,” Fatima continued.
“Our powerplay, we won with bat and ball. But we collapsed with the bat and we need to improve there,” he added.
The Pakistan captain highlighted their struggles in the fielding department during the high-octane fixture, which saw them squander two catching opportunities, as he called for improvement in the execution of plans.
“Catches win matches, but unfortunately, the senior players dropped catches. We need to improve in bowling and catching. We will try to implement our plans soon.”