Three familiar names are walking back into Pakistan’s squad alongside their returning captain. Najiha Alvi, Sadia Iqbal and Waheeda Akhtar all missed the T20 World Cup earlier this year but are back for the tournament in Dubai starting August 28. Sana herself returns, having skipped a T20I series against Sri Lanka to fulfil a Hundred contract with Birmingham Phoenix, a PCB-approved deal that made her the first Pakistani woman signed to an England franchise. Twelve other players carry over from the World Cup group.
PCB’s Full 15-Player Selection Breakdown
The Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed the 15-player squad on August 16, with Fatima Sana leading a group that blends senior names with three players who missed this year’s World Cup. Four reserves, Tasmia Rubab, Humna Bilal, Maham Anees and Sadaf Shamas, sit outside the main group in case of injury.
| Player | Status | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Fatima Sana (c) | Returning | All-Rounder |
| Muneeba Ali Siddiqui | Retained | WK-Batter |
| Ayesha Zafar | Retained | Batter |
| Eman Naseer | Retained | Batter |
| Eyman Fatima | Retained | Batter |
| Gull Feroza | Retained | Batter/All-Rounder |
| Momina Riasat | Retained | Batter/All-Rounder |
| Nashra Sundhu | Retained | Bowler |
| Saira Jabeen | Retained | Batter |
| Shawaal Zulfiqar | Retained | Batter |
| Tuba Hassan | Retained | All-Rounder |
| Umm-e-Hani | Retained | Bowler |
| Najiha Alvi | Returned | WK-Batter |
| Sadia Iqbal | Returned | Bowler |
| Waheeda Akhtar | Returned | Bowler |
Wahab Riaz continues as head coach, working alongside Ayesha Ashar as manager, Abdur Rehman on spin, Umaid Asif on pace and Imran Farhat on batting.
Fatima Sana Asia Cup 2026 Squad
Sana’s name at the top of the list ends a short but pointed absence. She missed the T20I series against Sri Lanka in July and August after the PCB granted a no-objection certificate to join Birmingham Phoenix in the Hundred, having captained the ODI leg first. Pakistan lost that T20I series 2-1 with Muneeba Ali standing in.
The move made Sana the first Pakistani woman signed by a Hundred franchise, brought in through the wildcard draft on a minimum salary of £15,000 as cover for Australia’s Lucy Hamilton. It was a genuine career landmark, not an injury layoff, a distinction that matters given how often absences in women’s cricket get misread as fitness concerns rather than what they actually are. She took a knock on the knee during World Cup training in June, struck by a drive off Ayesha Zafar’s bat, but was cleared almost immediately and has captained Pakistan continuously since August 2024.
Three Returning Faces and Three Big Misses
Najiha Alvi, Sadia Iqbal and Waheeda Akhtar share a common thread. None made Pakistan’s main squad for this year’s T20 World Cup, and all three are back specifically for this tournament rather than the Asian Games squad running alongside it. Iqbal strengthens the spin attack, having taken six wickets in a T20I series against South Africa in 2024 before her World Cup omission.
Aliya Riaz moves the other way. She keeps her place for the Asian Games squad but drops out of this group entirely, described by selectors as out of form in recent domestic outings. Iram Javed, Diana Baig, Rameen Shamim and Natalia Parvaiz all played at the World Cup earlier this year but don’t appear in either squad now, a clear sign selectors are resetting the pool around form and tournament fit.
Dubai’s Group Stage and the Road Ahead
The tournament runs August 28 to September 13 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, with all fifteen matches at the same venue and a 7:30 pm local start throughout. Pakistan land in Group A alongside India, Thailand and Hong Kong, while Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the UAE and Indonesia make up Group B.
Pakistan open against Thailand on September 1 before the tournament’s marquee fixture, a Group A meeting with arch-rivals India on September 5 that will draw the biggest crowd of the group stage. The final group game against Hong Kong follows on September 7, with semi-finals set for September 10 and 11 and the final on September 13.
Before any of that, the squad reports to the National Cricket Academy in Lahore for a training camp running from August 16 to 25. It is the first extended block together since the World Cup, and the closest thing to a dress rehearsal this Fatima Sana Asia Cup 2026 squad will get before the group stage begins.