Pakistan to open Women’s T20 World Cup campaign against India at Edgbaston

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will begin their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign against India on June 14 at Edgbaston in Birmingham, with the fixture set to launch their group-stage campaign in the expanded global tournament.

The event, to be staged from June 12 to July 5 under the England and Wales Cricket Board, will be the 10th edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup and the largest so far, with the number of participating teams increasing from 10 to 12. A total of 33 matches are scheduled across seven venues, while the final will be played at Lord’s in London on July 5.

Pakistan have been drawn in Group 1 alongside Australia, India, South Africa, Bangladesh and the Netherlands. The Dutch side will be appearing in the tournament for the first time. Group 2 includes defending champions New Zealand, hosts England, 2016 winners West Indies, Sri Lanka, Ireland and Scotland. The top two teams from each group will move into the semi-finals, which are scheduled for June 30 and July 2.

Pakistan squad and form

Fatima Sana will captain Pakistan in a second successive Women’s T20 World Cup after also leading the side in the 2024 edition in the UAE. The 24-year-old all-rounder heads into the tournament after a strong run of form, having set a world record for the fastest half-century in Women’s T20 Internationals during Pakistan’s 3-0 series sweep over Zimbabwe in Karachi last month. She reached the landmark in 15 balls, surpassing the previous record of 18 deliveries.

Eyman Fatima, Rameen Shamim and Saira Jabeen are in line to make their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup debut. The 15-player squad also includes wicketkeeper-batter Muneeba Ali Siddiqui, opener Gull Feroza, and experienced players Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Nashra Sundhu, Sadia Iqbal and Tuba Hassan. Iram Javed and Ayesha Zafar complete the squad. Natalia Parvaiz and Tasmia Rubab had been part of Pakistan’s 2018 and 2024 T20 World Cup squads respectively, but did not feature in those tournaments.

Among the current players, Muneeba is Pakistan’s highest run-scorer in Women’s T20 World Cup history with 247 runs in 17 innings. Her best score remains 102 against Ireland in 2023, which was also Pakistan women’s first century in T20 Internationals. Left-arm spinner Nashra Sundhu leads Pakistan’s bowling numbers at the tournament with 16 wickets in 16 appearances, including best figures of 4 for 18, also recorded against Ireland in the 2023 edition.

Build-up and fixtures

Pakistan’s preparations included an away bilateral T20I series against South Africa, a home series against Zimbabwe, training camps, and a Women’s T20I tri-series in Ireland featuring the hosts and West Indies from May 28 to June 4. The team is also due to play two warm-up matches in Derby, against Sri Lanka on June 6 and Scotland on June 9.

After facing India, Pakistan will stay at Edgbaston for their second match against South Africa on June 17. They will then travel to Southampton to meet Bangladesh on June 20, before taking on Australia at Headingley in Leeds on June 23. Their final group-stage match will be against the Netherlands at the Bristol County Ground on June 27.

The scheduled start times for Pakistan’s group matches are 6.30pm PKT against India, 10.30pm PKT against South Africa, 6.30pm PKT against Bangladesh, 10.30pm PKT against Australia, and 2.30pm PKT against the Netherlands.

Speaking to PCB Digital, team mentor Wahab Riaz said:

We have worked hard over the past few months, playing a series against Zimbabwe and facing Ireland and West Indies. This is a young and energetic group that can rise to the occasion at the World Cup. You prepare your entire life to play in a World Cup and it is an opportunity everyone looks forward to. Our focus is on playing a fearless and positive brand of cricket. We need to believe in our hard work and the results will follow.

On Pakistan’s group and expectations from the campaign, Wahab added:

Our group has some of the finest sides in the tournament and this is a good opportunity for us to start on the right track, with things getting easier as the event progresses. We have a combination of youngsters and senior players and I am confident that, given the hard work these players have put in, if they play to their potential they will deliver a top-four finish.