Pakistan captain Fatima Sana led from the front in her team’s quest for the Bronze medal at the Women’s Asian Games 2026. The skipper scored a 30-ball 45 and picked a wicket to help Pakistan down Bangladesh by 31 runs in the medal game. Offspinner Umm-e-Hani was at her frugal best, finishing with figures of 3-10 in four overs, which includes a maiden.
On a big day, Sana made all the right moves, including her decision at the toss. Her openers Shawaal Zulfiqar and Gull Feroza added 46 runs for the opening wicket before the latter was dismissed in the seventh over by Nahida Akter.
Pakistan then had a middle-overs wobble that saw them slip to 67-5 in the 12th over. Sana and Aliya Riaz then rebuilt the essay with a 67-run stand that came in 7.1 overs and took Pakistan towards a respectable total. As many as 55 runs came off the last 30 deliveries to push Pakistan to 145/8.
Bangladesh were never in the chase. By the fifth over, they were 20/3 and were left to play catch-up. Five batters fell for single digit scores, as Bangladesh struggled to build partnerships to push back against the Pakistan bowlers. Nigar Sultana and Sharmin Akter managed a 47-run partnership.
This pair was the only consolation in an otherwise sorry scorecard. Five of Sana’s six bowlers, including herself, picked at least one wicket as Bangladesh couldn’t get out of second gear in a chase. They eventually limped to 114/7 in 20 overs, falling well short in chase.
Brief Scores: Pakistan 145/8 in 20 overs (Fatima Sana 45, Gull Feroza 31; Nahida Akter 2-21, Shorna Akter 2-16) beat Bangladesh 114/7 in 20 overs (Sharmin Akter 46; Umm-e-Hani 3-10) 31 runs
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