LAHORE: Fatima Sana will return as Pakistan women’s captain for the Women’s Asia Cup and the Asian Games after missing the recent Twenty20 International series against Sri Lanka due to her commitments in The Hundred, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced on Sunday.
Fatima will lead a 15-member squad for both tournaments, with Pakistan set to feature in the eight-team Asia Cup in Dubai from Aug 28 to Sept 13 before travelling to Japan for the Asian Games women’s cricket event.
Pakistan have been placed in Group ‘A’ of the Asia Cup alongside India, Thailand and Hong Kong-China. They will begin their campaign against Thailand on Sept 1 before facing India on Sept 5 and Hong Kong-China on Sept 7.
The semi-finals are scheduled for Sept 10 and 11, with the final to be played on Sept 13 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Pakistan’s Asian Games campaign will begin with a quarter-final against Thailand on Sept 17 at Korogi Athletic Park in Aichi. India will face Japan, Bangladesh will meet China and Sri Lanka will play Malaysia in the other quarter-finals.
Should Pakistan qualify for the semi-finals, they will face either Sri Lanka or Malaysia on Sept 20. The bronze-medal and gold-medal matches are scheduled for Sept 22.
Pakistan won gold at the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games but finished fourth at the 2022 edition.
Eleven players — Fatima, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Ayesha Zafar, Gull Feroza, Saira Jabeen, Eyman Fatima, Eman Naseer, Umm-e-Hani, Tuba Hassan and Nashra Sundhu — have been selected for both tournaments.
For the Asia Cup, Najiha Alvi, Waheeda Akhtar and Sadia Iqbal have been included, while Aliya Riaz, Tasmia Rubab and Humna Bilal have been selected for the Asian Games squad.
The PCB said the Asian Games squad had been submitted in June, with the three additional players joining the team after it travels from the UAE to Japan.
The Pakistan team will hold a pre-tournament training camp at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore from Sunday to Aug 25.
Squad for Asia Cup: Fatima Sana (captain), Ayesha Zafar, Eman Naseer, Eyman Fatima, Gull Feroza, Momina Riasat, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui (wicket-keeper), Najiha Alvi, Nashra Sundhu, Sadia Iqbal, Saira Jabeen, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani, Waheeda Akhtar.
Reserves: Tasmia Rubab, Humna Bilal, Maham Anees, Sadaf Shamas.
Squad for Asian Games: Fatima Sana (captain), Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Zafar, Eman Naseer, Eyman Fatima, Gull Feroza, Humna Bilal, Momina Riasat, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui (wicket-keeper), Nashra Sundhu, Saira Jabeen, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani.
Reserves: Natalia Parvaiz, Waheeda Akhtar, Sadia Iqbal, Syeda Aroob Shah, Rameen Shamim.
Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2026
