Pakistan Women to Face Thailand in Asian Games Quarter-Final on September 17
- Pakistan will take on Thailand at 10am Pakistan time on Thursday at Korogi Athletic Park in Japan.
- Gull Feroza will keep wicket after Muneeba Ali returned home because of her mother’s illness.
- The two-time gold medallists will compete for a place in the semi-finals, scheduled for September 20.
Pakistan women will begin their campaign at the 2026 Asian Games against Thailand in the fourth quarter-final on Thursday, September 17, at Korogi Athletic Park in Aichi prefecture, Japan. The match will start at 10am Pakistan time.
Led by Fatima Sana, Pakistan will enter the contest after beating Thailand by 35 runs in their recent meeting at the ACC Women’s Asia Cup in Dubai. The 14-member squad travelled directly to Japan from the United Arab Emirates following its participation in that tournament.
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Pakistan, who won gold at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou and the 2014 edition in Incheon, are among eight teams competing in the women’s tournament. Bangladesh, China, India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Japan and Malaysia complete the line-up.
The semi-finals will take place on September 20, followed by the bronze and gold medal matches on September 22. All matches will be held at Korogi Athletic Park.
Wicketkeeper-batter Muneeba Ali Siddiqui will miss the tournament after returning home because of her mother’s illness. Gull Feroza will take over wicketkeeping duties in her absence.
Pakistan have also made three changes to their Asia Cup squad, bringing in Aliya Riaz, Tasmia Rubab and Humna Bilal in place of Sadaf Shamas, Waheeda Akhtar and Sadia Iqbal.
Captain Fatima Sana said the players were excited to compete at the Asian Games and considered it an honour to represent Pakistan as part of the country’s contingent. She stressed that every match carried significant consequences and that the team would need to remain alert from its opening fixture against Thailand.
Fatima expressed confidence that the players would give their best in pursuit of a medal. She also described playing cricket in Japan as a valuable experience and said the team hoped to make the trip memorable for both the players and the fans supporting Pakistan women.
The Pakistan squad comprises Fatima Sana (captain), Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Zafar, Eman Naseer, Eyman Fatima, Gull Feroza, Humna Bilal, Momina Riasat, Nashra Sundhu, Saira Jabeen, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba Hassan and Umm-e-Hani.
Natalia Parvaiz, Waheeda Akhtar, Sadia Iqbal, Syeda Aroob Shah and Rameen Shamim have been named as reserves.
The support staff includes Wahab Riaz as coach and mentor, Ayesha Ashar as team manager, Abdur Rehman as spin bowling coach, Umaid Asif as fast bowling coach, Abdul Majeed as fielding coach, Imran Farhat as batting coach, Waleed Ahmed as performance analyst and Tehreem Sumbal as physiotherapist.
