LAHORE: Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Muneeba Ali has called for improvement in the team’s batting and fielding after her Player of the Match performance helped Pakistan defeat Thailand by 35 runs in their opening match of the ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2026.
Muneeba’s composed 54 off 52 balls enabled Pakistan to recover from a difficult start and post 119 for nine at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Pakistan’s spinners then defended the modest total by restricting Thailand to 84 for eight. Muneeba said the team had initially hoped to score between 130 and 140, but regular wickets forced the batters to adopt a more cautious approach.
Pakistan entered the match hoping to utilise the powerplay, but the loss of early wickets disrupted that plan. Muneeba said the team had experienced similar collapses in previous matches, where early setbacks led to further wickets and placed the innings under unnecessary pressure.
This time, however, the batters remained calm and focused on keeping the scoreboard moving. The target was to score approximately four to six runs per over while preserving enough wickets to build a competitive total in the latter stages.
Muneeba’s innings provided the foundation for that recovery. She assessed the surface carefully, resisted high-risk shots and continued rotating the strike even when boundaries were difficult to find. Her partnership with Sadaf Shams helped Pakistan regain control after the early setbacks.
Although Pakistan fell short of the 140-plus total the team had originally wanted, Muneeba believed 120 could still be defendable because the pitch was gripping and offering assistance to the spinners.
Muneeba also spoke about the extreme heat and humidity in Dubai. Despite having toured the city previously, she described the conditions as unusually demanding and said it was her first experience of such intense heat during a match.
The physical challenge was especially severe because she opened the batting before keeping wickets for the full 20 overs. The combined workload placed considerable pressure on her stamina, but she said the experience would help the squad adapt as the tournament progresses.
Muneeba’s ability to remain at the crease despite the difficult conditions was one of the defining features of Pakistan’s innings. Her measured approach allowed her to bat through the most important phase of the recovery before being dismissed in the 17th over.
