LAHORE: Muneeba Ali and Iram Javed have been named in the 15-player Pakistan women’s squad for this month’s tri-nation T20I series in Dublin and next month’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in England.

Muneeba, who has scored two T20I centuries in 86 matches, has recently endured a difficult run of form with the bat. After aggregating 132 runs against Ireland last year, including a 100 not out in the third T20I, she has managed only 88 runs in her last six T20Is — 28 runs in three T20Is on the South Africa tour and 60 runs in three T20Is against an inexperienced Zimbabwe side in Karachi last week.

Iram has an even poorer T20I record. She has managed only 91 runs in the last 10 T20Is since October 2023, including 5 and 29 against Zimbabwe last week. The 34-year-old has played 58 T20Is and scored 448 runs at an average of just under 10. Perhaps her 257 runs in the National Women’s T20 compelled the selectors to include her in the European tour squad.

Unfortunately, 27-year-old Sadaf Shamas, who scored 227 runs in the National Women’s T20 and followed up with 289 runs in the ODIs against Zimbabwe, missed the cut. Had she been selected to play in the T20Is against Zimbabwe, she could potentially have put her past T20I failures behind her. In her 12-match T20I career, Sadaf has scored 61 runs, with 35 against England in Birmingham in 2024 as her highest.

23-year-old Momina Riasat will also consider herself unlucky. After finishing as the leading wicket-taker in the National Women’s T20 with 16 wickets, she was not given the opportunity against Zimbabwe and consequently failed to break into the side. Her consolation is that she is one of six reserves, along with Sadaf Shamas.

Fatima Sana, undoubtedly Pakistan’s best current cricketer across both formats, will continue to captain the side. This will be the second successive time she has led Pakistan in an ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

In 55 T20Is, Fatima has scored 646 runs and taken 48 wickets. She has been in sparkling form recently, top-scoring against South Africa with 146 runs at a strike rate of 184.81 while also taking two wickets. In the National T20, she scored 271 runs and took eight wickets, before scoring 83 runs at a strike-rate of 259 and claiming five wickets against Zimbabwe. In the third T20I, Fatima struck the fastest half-century in women’s T20I history, off just 15 balls.

The selectors have made five changes to the side that competed in the 2024 event in the United Arab Emirates. Najiha Alvi, Omaima Sohail, Sidra Amin, Nida Dar (retired) and Syeda Aroob Shah have been replaced by Eyman Fatima, Natalia Pervaiz, Rameen Shamim, Saira Jabeen and Tasmia Rubab, all of whom will be appearing in their maiden T20 World Cup.

At the 2024 tournament, Pakistan opened their campaign with a 31-run victory against Sri Lanka. In their second match, they lost to India by six wickets, before eventual champions New Zealand and Australia thrashed them by 54 runs and nine wickets, respectively.

Since the inception of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2009, Pakistan have participated in all nine editions. Their sole highlight across those nine editions remains a one-run victory over India, in which they successfully defended 98 in Galle, Sri Lanka. Sana Mir and Nain Abidi scored 26 and 25 respectively in that match, while Nida Dar took three for 12 and Bismah Maroof two for 18.

PAKISTAN WOMEN’S SQUAD: Fatima Sana (captain), Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Zafar, Diana Baig, Eyman Fatima, Gull Feroza, Iram Javed, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui (wicketkeeper), Nashra Sandhu, Natalia Pervaiz, Rameen Shamim, Sadia Iqbal, Saira Jabeen, Tasmia Rubab and Tuba Hassan. Amber Kainat, Momina Riasat, Sadaf Shamas, Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah and Umm-e-Hani (all reserves)

SCHEDULE OF PAKISTAN’S MATCHES:

29 May – vs West Indies (tri-nation series)

31 May – vs Ireland (tri-nation series)

3 June – vs Ireland (tri-nation series)

4 June – vs West Indies (tri-nation series)

14 June – vs India, Edgbaston (T20WC)

17 June – vs South Africa, Edgbaston (T20WC)

20 June – vs Bangladesh, Southampton (T20WC)

23 June – vs Australia, Leeds (T20WC)

27 June – vs Netherlands, Bristol (T20WC)