Pakistan Women fight back through Muneeba Ali after early Thailand strikes

Pakistan Women steady ship after Putthawong's twin blows against Thailand

Pakistan Women reached 74 for 3 in 12 overs against Thailand in their opening Women's Asia Cup 2026 match at the Dubai International Stadium, with Muneeba Ali anchoring the innings after early strikes from left-arm spinner Thipatcha Putthawong threatened to derail their campaign.

Early collapse hands Thailand initiative

Putthawong delivered a double-wicket maiden in the second over to put Pakistan on the back foot immediately. She first dismissed Shawaal Zulfiqar with a soft dismissal, the batter mistiming a drive off the back foot straight to Laomi at backward point. Gull Feroza followed without scoring, top-edging a sweep to Maya at short fine leg.

Phannita Maya struck in the fifth over to reduce Pakistan to 28 for 3, with Ayesha Zafar mistiming a pull shot that sailed to Chantham at short mid wicket. The Thailand seamers exploited the conditions early, with Maya's in-swinging deliveries and out-swinging length balls creating problems for the Pakistan top order.

Muneeba Ali leads recovery

Muneeba Ali, opening the batting, has compiled a measured innings punctuated by aggressive strokes when opportunities arise. She announced Pakistan's intent with a boundary off the first ball, pulling Maya's in-swinging back-of-a-length delivery past fine leg for four. The wicketkeeper-batter struck another boundary in the fifth over, slog-sweeping Maya past deep mid wicket, and added two more fours in the middle overs off Sunida Chaturongrattana and Onnicha Kamchomphu.

Her partnership with Sadaf Shamas has stabilised the innings, with both batters rotating strike effectively through sweeps, cuts and drives. Sadaf has contributed boundaries of her own, including a well-timed square cut off Putthawong that raced past third man and another off Kamchomphu that beat the fielder at deep cover.

Tournament context

Pakistan opted to bat first after winning the toss, becoming the last of the eight competing nations to open their Women's Asia Cup 2026 account. India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have all registered opening wins, while host UAE, Indonesia and Hong Kong suffered heavy defeats. Thailand entered the match with one win and one loss, having been thrashed by India in their previous outing.

The contest carries added significance as Thailand have previously defeated Pakistan in earlier editions of the tournament and will be eager to repeat that success. The match is being broadcast by Sony Sports Network with live streaming available on the Sony LIV app.