Pakistan Beat Thailand by 35 Runs to Start Asia Cup on Winning Note

Pakistan Women opened their Women's T20 Asia Cup 2026 campaign with a 35-run victory over Thailand Women at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 1, 2026.

Record-Breaking Spell: Thailand left-arm spinner Thipatcha Putthawong took 3 for 18, surpassing Deepti Sharma to become the leading wicket-taker in Women's T20Is (reaching 173 total wickets).

Muneeba's Half-Century: Opening batter Muneeba Ali anchored Pakistan's innings in demanding conditions, scoring 54 off 52 balls. She shared a crucial 54-run partnership with Sadaf Shamas (20) to rebuild after early stumbles.

Middle-Order Strangle: Suleeporn Laomi's spell of 3 for 14 pegged Pakistan back in the middle overs, but a late cameo from Tuba Hasan (12* off 4 balls) helped push Pakistan to 119. Dominant Spin Defense: Sadia Iqbal (3 for 11) struck twice in the second over of the chase, while Nashra Sandhu conceded just 6 runs from her four overs (1 for 6) to keep Thailand restricted to 84 for 8.

Thailand needed one of their batters to emulate Muneeba, but they were starved of runs by Pakistan's disciplined bowling and attacking field sets. They stood no chance at chasing the total down with the required run rate climbing every over.

The introduction of Nashra Sandhu after the powerplay further aggravated Thailand's woes as the left-arm spinner allowed only six runs from her four overs, she picked up Chantham as well. Iqbal returned for the last over of the innings and picked up a wicket on the last ball to finish with 3 for 11 from four overs.

That Pakistan were able to secure a win despite a subpar batting performance was partly because they played a weaker opposition. But, their next opponents, India, are not likely to provide them much of a leeway.

Pakistan 119 for 9 (Muneeba 54, Putthawong 3-18, Laomi 3-14) beat Thailand (Sutthiruang 25, Iqbal 3-11, Tuba 2-17) by 35 runs