Pakistan Women’s T20 World Cup hopes ended on Friday night with a 23-run defeat to Bangladesh in Southampton, a match Wahab Riaz described as one his side “defeated ourselves”.
Asked to reel in only 124, Pakistan were 70 for 2 at halfway, needing almost exactly a run a ball with eight wickets standing. ESPNcricinfo’s predictor had them 90% favourites. Fifty-five minutes later the scorecard read 100 for 8, no boundary had been struck since the eighth over, and Wahab – the team’s mentor – was left shaking his head.
“When you are 72 for 2 in 12 overs, [needing] just six runs in an over, and then suddenly – I have no answer for that, to be very honest,” he said. “I think we have defeated ourselves, and the credit goes to the Bangladesh team that they kept their nerves. I think the credit goes to them.”
Key to that turnaround was Bangladesh’s left-arm spin pair. Player of the Match Nahida Akter returned 3 for 18 and fellow south-paw Sanjida Akter Meghla matched her haul with 3 for 21. Their combined eight overs conceded only 39 and ripped out the middle order just when Pakistan ought to have been cantering home.
“I think they bowled well, but there was not that much of spin or grip or turn on the wicket which have created problems for you,” Wahab observed. “I think it’s just the execution. You cannot do it.”
The mentor felt the chase should already have been completed long before anxiety crept in. “You should have taken the game two-three overs before that. The game should have been finished three overs before the time. But if you’re letting the things go and you’re not scoring runs, then any opposition is going to catch you and things will be difficult for you.”
Collapses, sadly, have become the story of Pakistan’s tournament. Against India they lost seven for 31. South Africa reduced them to 50 for 8 before the lower order staged an unlikely rescue. On Friday the slide was 49 without loss to 84 for 8 – six wickets for 14 – effectively sealing their exit.
“It is very disappointing to be out of the World Cup because I still think that no other team has beaten [us]. It’s you yourself who has got beaten by the other teams. I think it is a big difference when the other teams try to put up a good show and they beat you. But I think unfortunately in all the last three games, we were not up to the mark,” Wahab admitted.
He was equally blunt about preparation versus performance. “It’s not a good sign, to be very honest,” he said of the repeated failures. “Because you’ve been working hard for this for the last four or five months, and we’ve been scoring runs, and suddenly coming into the games, it’s just the execution.
“You’re getting each and everything that’s required for your preparation. It has to be the player who has to go in and do their [job] – the plans are very simple, it’s very easy.”
Bangladesh, meanwhile, celebrated a second win that keeps their semi-final dream alive. Captain Nigar Sultana Joty praised her spinners for “sticking to the plan” and highlighted the calm in the camp when Pakistan appeared to be cruising. “We knew one wicket could start something,” she told host broadcaster ICC TV. “Our bowlers trusted the field and the lengths.”
Shorna Akter again provided the spark with 38 off 30 after Bangladesh had slipped to 15 for 2. A 46-run stand with Joty gave their bowlers just enough to work with. In English conditions offering a hint of grip but mostly true bounce, 124 always felt 15 short – until the spinners went to work.
Former England opener Lydia Greenway, on commentary duty, felt Pakistan “froze under modest pressure”, adding that the required rate barely crept above seven but “the intent vanished”.
Pakistan now face Australia in a dead rubber on Monday and must start thinking beyond this tournament. Bismah Maroof’s side possesses experience but little momentum; the younger batters have looked technically sound yet timid when the chase tightens. Expect changes before the next global event.
For Bangladesh the equation is clearer. Beat South Africa and they are almost certain to book a semi-final berth. Lose narrowly and net run rate calculations could still be kind, but Joty would rather avoid the maths: “One more good game and we control our destiny.”
Friday’s match will be remembered less for Bangladesh’s total and more for Pakistan’s pursuit that never arrived. An attainable ask, firm pitch and wickets in hand proved irrelevant once doubt seeped in. Wahab’s parting words summed it up better than any statistic: Pakistan did not run into an unstoppable force, they simply stopped themselves.
