Fatima Sana has been appointed captain of Pakistan’s women’s cricket team for the upcoming tri-series in Ireland as well as the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, which will be held in England and Wales. The Pakistan Cricket Board announced the 15-member squad selected for both events on Saturday.
The tri-series in Ireland will feature the hosts along with the West Indies. Matches will take place in Dublin from May 28 to June 4, with Pakistan scheduled to play four games. This tournament is intended to serve as crucial preparation ahead of the 12-team ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, set to run from June 12 to July 5.
Notably, five players—Eyman Fatima, Natalia Pervaiz, Rameen Shamim, Saira Jabeen, and Tasmia Rubab—are set to make their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup debuts. Fatima Sana, aged 24, will be leading the side for the second consecutive World Cup, having captained Pakistan during the 2024 tournament in the United Arab Emirates. This will mark her third appearance in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
Pakistan recently completed a 3-0 clean sweep against Zimbabwe in a T20I series held in Karachi. This victory has been instrumental in helping the team gear up for the forthcoming challenges. In preparation for the World Cup, Pakistan will play two warm-up matches against Sri Lanka on June 6 and Scotland on June 9, both scheduled in Derby.
The team will kick off its World Cup campaign against arch-rivals India on June 14 at Edgbaston, Birmingham. Following this, they will face South Africa on June 17 at the same venue. The squad will then travel to Southampton to take on Bangladesh on June 20, before playing Australia on June 23 at Headingley, Leeds. Their final group stage match will be against the Netherlands on June 27 in Bristol.
From each group, the top two teams will advance to the semi-finals, which are scheduled for June 30 and July 2. The tournament’s final will be held at Lord’s on July 5.
The selected squad includes Fatima Sana (captain), Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Zafar, Diana Baig, Eyman Fatima, Gull Feroza, Iram Javed, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui (wicketkeeper), Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Pervaiz, Rameen Shamim, Sadia Iqbal, Saira Jabeen, Tasmia Rubab, and Tuba Hassan.
Reserves named are Amber Kainat, Momina Riasat, Sadaf Shamas, Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah, and Umm-e-Hani.
The support staff comprises manager Ayesha Ashhar; mentor and head coach Wahab Riaz; spin bowling coach Abdur Rehman; fast bowling coach Umaid Asif; fielding coach Abdul Majeed; batting coach Imran Farhat; media managers Muhammad Arslan (tri-series) and Raza Kitchlew (World Cup); analyst Waleed Ahmed; strength and conditioning coach Moeen; team doctor Alveena Awan; physiotherapist Tehreem Sumbal; and masseuse Kiran Shahzadi.
