Nagoya, Japan, September 17, 2026: Pakistan’s batters held their nerve under enormous pressure to beat Thailand by three wickets in a nailbiting start to the women’s T20 cricket tournament at the Asian Games on Thursday.
With their sudden-death quarter-final match reduced to 11 overs per side because the umpires had to wait for some wet patches in the outfield to dry out in the sun, both teams made up for lost time with some spectacular hitting at Korogi Athletic Park.
Bidding to reach the semi-finals for the first time, Thailand blasted 10 boundaries and a six to post a formidable total of 91-4, led by a brilliant 49 from wicketkeeper Nannapat Koncharoenkai.
Asian Games champions in 2010 and 2014, Pakistan lost seven batters during a tricky run chase but maintained their composure when it mattered to reach their winning target of 92-7 with just two balls to spare.
Wielding the bat, Pakistan struck one fewer four than Thailand but edged ahead by clearing the ropes four times, with captain Fatima Sana and Eyman Fatima both belting sixes in a decisive 25-run over that turned the match when Pakistan still needed 44 runs from the last 24 deliveries.
“We knew that was the over for the make or break of the game. If we couldn’t score those runs then we would have been in trouble,” Pakistan coach Wahab Riaz said.
“She has played these kinds of innings before. We had faith in her that if she was there, then anything can happen. And that over, the way she smacked the ball, we know her ability. She has been doing this for a long time for this team, and she has done it again.
“Not the way we wanted to win it, but the credit goes to the Thailand team. Their attitude and their bowling was just amazing. They put a lot of pressure on us.”
Pakistan will play either Sri Lanka or Malaysia in the semi-finals with tailender Eman Naseer warning her team mates they will need to lift again after surviving an early scare.
“It was a thriller. We were expecting to finish it earlier but unfortunately we lost some wickets. Everyone was getting nervous. When it’s a short-form game anything can happen, no matter a big team or a small team,” she said.
Ranked 12th in the world, Thailand are emerging as a force in women’s cricket and coach Akshaykumar Palakdhari said their performance against Pakistan showed they can match with the sport’s powerhouse nations.
“Entering this tournament, we were very positive about making an impact in today’s game. There were some moments on the field which we did not do well but there’s always an opportunity to go back to the drawing board and come back stronger,” he said.
“Everybody still looks positive. They are sad, which is obvious, but we will get back to the drawing board and come back stronger next time, for sure.”
(Julian Linden, OCA Media)
