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Wahab Riaz stays on as Pakistan women's head coach despite T20 World Cup failure

· India Today Sports Desk · 2026-08-16T13:01:32+00:00 · nguồn gốc

Wahab Riaz stays on as Pakistan women's head coach despite T20 World Cup failure The Pakistan Cricket Board has retained Wahab Riaz and the support staff for the Women's Asia Cup and Asian Games despite Pakistan's poor T20 World Cup campaign and recent defeats in Sri Lanka. The Pakistan Cricket Board has retained Wahab Riaz and the rest of the coaching staff of the women's national team for the upcoming Asia Cup in the UAE and the Asian Games in Japan, despite a disappointing T20 World Cup campaign. Wahab will continue as coach and mentor, with Imran Farhat, Abdur Rehman and Umaid Asif also retaining their respective roles. Pakistan won just one match at the T20 World Cup under the coaching group and subsequently lost both the ODI and T20I series in Sri Lanka. The PCB's decision means the same coaching group will oversee Pakistan in two T20 tournaments in the coming weeks. The selectors have also recalled senior batter Aliya Riaz for the Asian Games. Aliya was dropped for the Sri Lanka tour after a poor T20 World Cup, but has been brought back despite failing to make a strong case with her performances since. Sidra Amin and Sadaf Shams, meanwhile, have once again been overlooked for both tournaments. The selectors continue to consider the two batters as primarily ODI players. Sidra did score a century in the ODI series in Sri Lanka, although Pakistan lost the series. FATIMA SANA BACK AS CAPTAIN Regular captain Fatima Sana will lead Pakistan in both tournaments after missing the T20I series in Sri Lanka because of her commitments with The Hundred. The Women's Asia Cup will be played from August 28 to September 13 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Pakistan have been placed in Group A alongside India, Thailand and Hong Kong-China. Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates make up Group B. Pakistan will then turn their attention to the Asian Games in Japan. They are seeded alongside Thailand and will face them in the quarterfinal on September 17 at Korogi Athletic Park in Aichi. A win would put Pakistan into the semifinal on September 20, where they will face either Sri Lanka or Malaysia. The bronze-medal and gold-medal matches are scheduled for September 22. Pakistan won gold in the women's cricket event at the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games but finished fourth in the 2022 edition. PAKISTAN WOMEN'S ASIA CUP SQUAD Fatima Sana (captain), Ayesha Zafar, Eman Naseer, Eyman Fatima, Gull Feroza, Momina Riasat, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui (wk), Najiha Alvi, Nashra Sundhu, Sadia Iqbal, Saira Jabeen, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani, Waheeda Akhtar. Reserves: Tasmia Rubab, Humna Bilal, Maham Anees, Sadaf Shamas. Support staff: Wahab Riaz (coach/mentor), Ayesha Ashar (team manager), Abdur Rehman (spin bowling coach), Umaid Asif (fast bowling coach), Abdul Majeed (fielding coach), Imran Farhat (batting coach), Waleed Ahmed (performance analyst), Moeen (strength and conditioning coach), Dur Samand (physiotherapist).