Fatima Sana Laments Pakistan's 'Disappointing' Start in Women's T20 World Cup

Birmingham, UK – Pakistan Women's cricket team captain Fatima Sana candidly attributed her side's 64-run thrashing by arch-rivals India in their Women's T20 World Cup opener to 'disappointing' batting and 'poor' fielding. The match, held at Edgbaston on June 14, saw India begin their pursuit of a maiden T20 World Cup title with a dominant performance, while Pakistan now faces an uphill battle early in the tournament.

India posted a challenging total of 170 for 6 wickets, largely thanks to a scintillating half-century by Smriti Mandhana, who scored 68 runs off just 44 balls, including nine boundaries and two sixes. Mandhana, after being dropped twice, capitalized on her reprieves to anchor India's innings. She, along with captain Harmanpreet Kaur (36 off 35 balls), built a crucial 91-run partnership for the third wicket after India had a shaky start at 18/2. A late explosive cameo from Richa Ghosh, who smashed 34 runs off just 17 deliveries, including a 23-run over off World Cup debutant Tasmia Rubab, propelled India to their highest-ever T20 World Cup score against Pakistan.

In response, Pakistan's chase never truly gained momentum. They were eventually bundled out for a mere 106 runs in 17 overs. India's seasoned all-rounder Deepti Sharma was the wrecker-in-chief, delivering a career-best performance with sensational figures of 5 wickets for just 10 runs from her four overs. Sharma's late burst, which included spinning out the last three wickets in five balls, not only sealed India's commanding victory but also saw her become the highest wicket-taker in women's T20 Internationals. Her exceptional bowling was complemented by Shree Charani, who picked up 3 wickets for 21 runs.

Speaking after the significant defeat, Fatima Sana expressed her frustration. 'It was really disappointing for us,' Sana stated, emphasizing the team's need to learn quickly from the setback. She specifically highlighted the batting unit's failure to perform, acknowledging that 'our batting performance was disappointing and our batters need to step up.' While Pakistan initially started their chase strongly, reaching their highest powerplay score against India at 52-1, the momentum shifted dramatically by the tenth over. Muneeba Ali's brisk 41 runs provided some resistance, but her run-out in the 11th over due to a direct hit from Deepti Sharma proved to be a turning point, leading to a rapid collapse of the middle and lower order.

Sana also pointed out critical lapses in the field, admitting that 'catches win matches' and lamenting the dropped opportunities. Poor fielding decisions often relieve pressure on the opposition and allow them to build crucial partnerships, a factor that undoubtedly contributed to India's formidable total. Furthermore, the Pakistan captain mentioned that an over-rate penalty also hurt her team, adding to their woes.

This opening match was played in front of a heavily partisan Edgbaston crowd of 18,814, setting a record attendance for a World Cup group match. The highly anticipated clash also garnered attention for the 'no handshake' policy observed between the Indian and Pakistani captains at the toss. Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur opted not to exchange the customary handshake with Fatima Sana, a practice that has been noted in India-Pakistan cricket encounters since 2025 across various formats and age-group tournaments. Fatima Sana later celebrated Harmanpreet Kaur's wicket with a passionate send-off, an incident that went viral and was seen by many as a reaction to the earlier handshake snub.

For India, this emphatic victory serves as an ideal start to their Women's T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, boosting their confidence as they aim to clinch their first-ever T20 World Cup title. They came close in 2020, finishing as runners-up to Australia. For Pakistan, the loss means they must quickly regroup and address their batting and fielding deficiencies before their next match against South Africa on June 17. Sana maintained a resilient stance, stressing that 'there is still a long way to go in the tournament, and the side will look to learn from the setback.' Despite an injury scare for Sana in the nets the day before the match, she was declared fit to play. The team will need a significant turnaround in performance to keep their hopes alive in the expanded 12-team tournament.