Pakistan are introspecting after their loss to India at Edgbaston in their opening match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026. Chasing a 171-run target, the Pakistan women team fell to 106 all out, heavily relying on Muneeba Ali’s resilient 41 off 35 balls after early momentum from the opening stand. Now, Pakistan coach Wahab Riaz admitted after the match that his team missed crucial opportunities in both innings, ultimately resulting in defeat.
Stressed on aggressive thinking
Speaking to the media, Wahab Riaz said that the team management is working towards bringing about changes in Pakistan’s T20 cricket style. However, he acknowledged that it will take time to change long-held mindsets and playing styles.
“In the last four months, we have taken over the Pakistan cricket team. You cannot make a lot of changes to the way they have been playing. Obviously, it will take some time,” Wahab said at the post-match presser.
“The message is very clear that we need to play positive cricket. We need to play fearless cricket. You need to score more runs in the powerplay and ideally reach 170 to stay in the game.”
India increased dominance in the final overs
Wahab Riaz believes the match turned in the final overs of India’s innings. Pakistan kept the match balanced with their bowling in the early and middle stages, but the Indian batsmen quickly scored runs in the final moments to take control of the match.
He said that in T20 cricket, the first six overs and the last four are the most crucial. Pakistan was not completely successful in both these phases. Conceding extra runs in the final two overs, in particular, proved costly.
He addded, “In T20 cricket, you have to win the powerplay and the last four overs. I think they are the most important phases of the game. Giving away runs in the last two overs cost us the game. Richa got the opportunity and she made the most of it.”
Chasing the target, Pakistan had made a good start and remained in the match in the initial overs, but the entire equation changed due to the continuous fall of wickets in the middle order.
Wahab Riaz explained that after the powerplay, the team needed to maintain the run rate and save wickets, but losing five consecutive wickets between the seventh and thirteenth overs virtually ended any chance of a comeback. He added that in T20 cricket, it is extremely difficult to recover from such a significant setback.
Positive signs despite defeat
Although Pakistan started the tournament with a defeat, the coach saw some positive aspects in the team’s performance. He said that the bowlers struggled for a long time and the batting also showed some good signs. Now the only need is to minimize mistakes and move forward with confidence.
“There are a few positives. The way they fought with the ball and the glimpses we showed with the bat. We know it is always going to be a game of nerves. I think we are here to win. We just need to make less mistakes, believe in ourselves and play more positive cricket,” Wahab added.
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