Pakistan women playing against men to prepare for Asia Cup T20 2026
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Pakistan women playing against men to prepare for Asia Cup T20 2026")
Pakistan women playing against men to prepare for Asia Cup T20 2026 Photograph: (SLC)
Pakistan Women, led by Fatima Sana, are prepping for the 2026 Asia Cup T20 by playing against men's teams at Lahore's NCA to build composure, sharpen decision-making, and handle crunch-moment pressure.
Pakistan Women are going the extra mile for the upcoming Asia Cup T20 which starts August 28 in Dubai, UAE. Pakistan last played in the final of the event more than a decade ago in 2016 when they lost to arch-rivals India by 17 runs. For the upcoming tournament, Pak Women, led by Fatima Sana, have been preparing against a men's team comprising teenage boys and older players of the Abdul Qadir Academy to sharpen their skills. The matches, played in a 20-over format, were staged at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), Lahore during the pre-tournament camp.
Why Pakistan Women are playing against men to prepare for Asia Cup T20 2026?
The idea behind playing against men was to help players improve their decision-making in crunch moments against tougher opponents, something which has been lacking and attracted criticism for them. The most recent case was the T20 World Cup where Pakistan managed to win only one match - against the Netherlands - out of the five they played.
"We have played competitive matches against boys in which we were put under pressure. These learnings will help us adapt to the challenges of the competition," Pak skipper Fatima Sana said as reported by Cricinfo.
"We needed to understand how to handle the pressure better, and that is something which is highlighted whenever there is a big tournament," she added. "These matches have helped us on that front, and the difference will be visible… It is very important to stay calm in pressure situations rather than pressing the panic button. We have told the girls to stay calm in the crunch moments, and stay in control by trusting their hard work and executing the plans."
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Women's Asia Cup T20 2026 group and schedule
The tournament is being played between 8 teams, which have been divided into two groups of four each. Pakistan are in Group A along with India, Thailand, and Hong Kong. The other group teams are - Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and hosts United Arab Emirates.
Pakistan starts their campaign against Thailand in September, before taking on India on September 5, and finishing against Hong Kong on September 7.
