Pakistan got off to a winning start to their Women’s Asia Cup 2026 campaign, beating Thailand by 35 runs in Match 5 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai. After opting to bat first, Pakistan staggered their way to post 119/9 in their allotted 20 overs, with only Muneeba Ali (54 off 52) holding the innings together with her fourth T20I half-century.
For Thailand, Thipatcha Putthawong (3/18) and Suleeporn Laomi (3/14) emerged as the pick of the bowlers, scalping three wickets each. In reply, Thailand were restricted to 84/8 in their 20 overs with Sadia Iqbal (3/11) and Tuba Hassan (2/17) running through their batting line-up.
Earlier, Pakistan got off to a poor start to their innings as Thipatcha Putthawong ran through their top order, removing Shawaal Zulfiqar (1 off 5) and Gull Feroza (0 off 4) cheaply. On the other hand, Phannita Maya (2/34) removed Ayesha Zafar to leave them reeling at 23/3 in 4.4 overs.
After the early blow, Muneeba Ali and Sadaf Shamas stabilised the innings with a 54-run stand off 48 balls for the fourth wicket. However, Pakistan weren’t allowed to breathe easy as Suleeporn Laomi removed Sadaf Shamas (20 off 20) and Fatima Sana (0 off 2) in the same over.
Matters only got worse for the Women in Green as Muneeba also returned to the pavilion on 54, leaving her team reeling at 90/6. Pakistan eventually finished their innings on 119/9 after some lower-order contributions from Umm-e-Hani (17 off 15) and Tuba Hassan (12* off 4).
Muneeba Ali named Player of the Match
In the second innings, Thailand lost Phannita Maya and Nannapat Koncharoenkai cheaply, leaving their team on 6/2 after two overs. While batters got starts, they couldn’t convert them into big scores against a relentless Pakistani attack and eventually fell short of the target.
Muneeba Ali was adjudged Player of the Match for her brilliant half-century that guided Pakistan to a respectable total. Following their win, they occupied the second spot on the Group A points table, while Thailand slipped to third.