Pakistan Women Secure Asian Games Cricket Bronze Medal
Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail
Pakistan’s women’s cricket team secured the bronze medal at the 2026 Asian Games after defeating Bangladesh by 31 runs in the third-place match in Nisshin, Japan, on Tuesday.
Batting first, Pakistan scored 145 for eight in their 20 overs before restricting Bangladesh to 114 for seven.
Captain Fatima Sana played a key role with the bat, scoring 45 runs from 30 deliveries. Her innings included three fours and three sixes and helped Pakistan recover after the team lost five wickets for just 21 runs.
Fatima shared a crucial 67-run partnership with Aliya Riaz, who scored 25 from 22 balls. The partnership helped Pakistan post a competitive total after their early progress had stalled.
Earlier, Gull Feroza provided Pakistan with a positive start, making 31 from 23 balls with six fours. Shawaal Zulfiqar added 17 as Pakistan reached 46 without losing a wicket before Bangladesh fought back.
Umm-e-Hani Leads Pakistan’s Bowling Attack
Pakistan’s bowlers then produced a disciplined performance, with Umm-e-Hani delivering the standout spell.
She finished with three wickets for just 10 runs in four overs, including a wicket-maiden. Her wickets came at important stages as Bangladesh struggled to maintain the required scoring rate.
Tasmia Rubab also made an early impact, while Ayesha Zafar and Nashra Sandhu picked up one wicket each. Fatima Sana also contributed with a wicket.
Bangladesh were reduced to 20 for three early in their innings before captain Nigar Sultana and Sharmin Akhter attempted to rebuild. The pair added 47 runs for the fourth wicket.
Nigar scored 25 from 30 balls, while Sharmin remained unbeaten on 46 from 45 deliveries.
However, Bangladesh could not sustain the required run rate during the latter stages of the chase. They eventually finished on 114 for seven, giving Pakistan a 31-run victory.
Third Asian Games Medal for Pakistan
The bronze is Pakistan women’s third medal in cricket at the Asian Games. The team previously won gold medals in 2010 and 2014.
The result also marked a turnaround from the 2022 Asian Games, when Bangladesh defeated Pakistan in the bronze-medal match.
Pakistan had entered the 2026 competition with a quarter-final victory over Thailand before suffering an eight-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka in the semi-final.
Meanwhile, India and Sri Lanka will meet in the final to compete for the women’s cricket gold medal.
Fatima Sana’s all-round contribution also added to her strong T20I record in 2026. She entered the match as Pakistan’s leading run-scorer in women’s T20Is this year and moved her tally to 540 runs with her 45-run innings.
