Pakistan captain Fatima Sana has set her sights on guiding her team to the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to take place in England and Wales from June 12 to July 5.
The team heads into the tournament on the back of a 3-0 series win over Zimbabwe at home and will next travel to Ireland for a tri-series involving the hosts and West Indies from May 28 to June 4 in Dublin. The competition will serve as their final preparation before the World Cup.
Pakistan’s preparations have also included a training camp, with the captain expressing confidence in the squad’s recent progress and readiness for the upcoming challenges. “By the grace of Almighty Allah, as we all know, we have the Ireland [tri-series] and World Cup ahead of us. We are preparing for that and are very excited since the past two to three months have been really good for us. So, we are hopeful for the team to deliver good results,” Fatima said during a media interaction.
Focus Beyond India Clash
Pakistan have been placed in Group 1 and will begin their campaign against India on June 14. Despite the significance of the fixture, Fatima emphasised that her team is approaching the tournament with a broader focus.
“Obviously, we are well prepared, and the World Cup is such an event in which every match is important; also, T20 cricket is such that anything can be changed rapidly. So, we are not looking forward for a specific match,” Fatima stated.
“As everybody knows, India and Pakistan have a good match, so God willing, we will try to play well.”
Confidence in Challenging Group
Following the opening game, Pakistan will face Australia, South Africa, Bangladesh and Netherlands in the group stage. While acknowledging the strength of the opposition, Fatima reiterated her team’s belief in their own approach.
“We have clarity on this that we have to play our own way regardless of the opposition. We know that our group is tough, but we also know that T20 cricket is such that anything can happen on a day. We can’t think that India and Australia are bigger teams,” she said.
“In T20 cricket, one good innings, spell or a runout can change things, so we have belief in our team and results will follow.”
Aim for Historic Qualification
Fatima also outlined her personal objective for the tournament, expressing a desire to lead Pakistan into the knockout stages for the first time.
“I desire that we finish in the top four, and I want to lead my team there with my impactful performances.”
With preparations ongoing and confidence building after recent results, Pakistan will look to carry that momentum into both the Ireland tri-series and the World Cup campaign.
