Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy 2026: Pakistan Begin Campaign Against Bangladesh Tomorrow

Result: Pakistan Women Beat Bangladesh by 8 Wickets

Updated: 12 November 2026 — Pakistan Women have opened their ICC Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy 2026 campaign with an 8-wicket win over Bangladesh Women at the Karwan Cricket Ground in Ajman, UAE, on Thursday, November 12, 2026.

Bangladesh won the toss and chose to bat, but were restricted to 108 for 9 in their 20 overs, with Tuba Hassan taking 3 for 26 and named Player of the Match. Pakistan chased the target down at 112 for 2 in 15.5 overs, winning with 25 balls to spare. Sadaf Shamas top-scored with 37 off 37 balls, captain Muneeba Ali finished unbeaten on 31 off 34, and vice-captain Ayesha Zafar was unbeaten on 27 off 18.

Pakistan’s next match is against Thailand on Friday, November 13, again at the Karwan Cricket Ground in Ajman. Read the full match report: Pakistan Women Beat Bangladesh by 8 Wickets in Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy Opener.

Pakistan open their ICC Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy 2026 campaign against Bangladesh in Ajman on Thursday, 12 November 2026, with wicketkeeper-batter Muneeba Ali leading the side in the absence of regular captain Fatima Sana. The tournament runs from 12 to 25 November in the United Arab Emirates, and Pakistan’s first match starts at 1:15pm UAE time — 2:15pm in Pakistan — at the Karwan Sports Club Cricket Ground.

It is the second edition of the tournament, expanded from eight teams to ten, with five ICC Full Members — Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Ireland and Zimbabwe — joined by the Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, defending champions Thailand and hosts UAE. All matches are T20s, played across two grounds in Ajman.

Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy 2026 at a Glance

Pakistan’s Fixtures in the Group Stage

There are no matches on 14, 17, 19, 21 and 24 November. The group stage runs from 12 to 18 November, and the top three teams from each group progress to the Super Six phase on 20, 22 and 23 November, where each qualifier plays three cross-group fixtures against the qualifiers from the other group. The two best teams at the end of those matches meet in the final on 25 November.

The Groups

Group A comprises Sri Lanka, Ireland, Scotland, Papua New Guinea and hosts UAE. Group B — the tougher-looking pool on paper — features Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, the Netherlands and Zimbabwe, with three Full Members in it. The tournament opens on Thursday morning with Sri Lanka against Ireland at Karwan and Papua New Guinea against Scotland at Seven Districts, before Pakistan meet Bangladesh and the Netherlands take on Thailand in the afternoon fixtures.

Pakistan’s Squad: Muneeba Ali Leads

Muneeba Ali will captain Pakistan in the tournament because regular skipper Fatima Sana is unavailable — she is playing in the Women’s Big Bash League in Australia with the Perth Scorchers, and the tournament overlaps with the WBBL season. Ayesha Zafar is the vice-captain, and Pakistan are the only side in the tournament whose squad list names a vice-captain.

The 14-player squad is: Muneeba Ali (captain, wicketkeeper), Ayesha Zafar (vice-captain), Eman Naseer, Eyman Fatima, Gull Feroza (wicketkeeper), Momina Riasat, Nashra Sundhu, Sadaf Shamas, Saira Jabeen, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani and Waheeda Akhtar.

Twelve players from the squad that won the bronze medal at the Asian Games last month have been retained. The squad assembled in Lahore on 6 November for a three-day training camp from 7 to 9 November before departing for the UAE.

Our report on the Pakistan Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy squad — Muneeba Ali named captain has the full squad announcement and background. For the men’s game this week, our preview of the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka first Test in Rawalpindi covers the home series, and our report on Pakistan reaching the SAFF Championship semi-finals has the latest from the football in Dhaka.

Why the Opener Matters

The first afternoon in Ajman brings a South Asian clash between two Full Members, and it sets the tone for Pakistan’s group campaign. Bangladesh are one of the three Full Members in Group B, so the opener is the kind of game that decides who finishes in the top three and reaches the Super Six — and who is left fighting for the remaining spot.

Pakistan’s second game is just as big: defending champions Thailand on Friday, 13 November, also at 2:15pm PKT. Thailand won the inaugural edition in 2025 and are the team to beat in the group. The Netherlands on Sunday and Zimbabwe on Monday complete the group fixtures, and both are morning starts at 10:00am PKT.

With the group stage deciding three Super Six places from five teams, every result counts — and the two afternoon games in the first two days, against Bangladesh and then the defending champions, will tell us a lot about how far this young Pakistan side can go.

We will update this page with results and the Super Six picture as the tournament progresses.

Frequently Asked Questions