Pakistan retain Wahab Riaz as women’s head coach for Asia Cup and Asian Games
On August 16, 2026, the Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed Wahab Riaz will remain head coach and mentor of the Pakistan women's national team for the upcoming Women's Asia Cup in the UAE and the Asian Games in Japan. The PCB also kept Imran Farhat, Abdur Rehman and Umaid Asif in their respective coaching roles.
The decision comes after a disappointing T20 World Cup in which Pakistan won just one match, followed by defeats in both the ODI and T20I series in Sri Lanka. The retained coaching group will oversee Pakistan in two T20 tournaments scheduled in the near future.
The board's named support staff lists Wahab Riaz as coach/mentor, Ayesha Ashar as team manager, Abdur Rehman as spin bowling coach, Umaid Asif as fast bowling coach and Imran Farhat as batting coach. Additional appointments include Abdul Majeed (fielding coach), Waleed Ahmed (performance analyst), Moeen (strength and conditioning coach) and Dur Samand (physiotherapist).
The selectors have recalled senior batter Aliya Riaz, who was dropped for the Sri Lanka tour after a poor T20 World Cup and has not made a strong case with her performances since. Sidra Amin and Sadaf Shams have again been left out of the squads for both tournaments as the selectors view them primarily as ODI players; Sidra did score a century in the ODI series in Sri Lanka, although Pakistan lost the series.
Regular captain Fatima Sana will lead Pakistan in both events after missing the T20I series in Sri Lanka because of her commitments with The Hundred. The Women's Asia Cup is scheduled from August 28 to September 13 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, with Pakistan drawn in Group A alongside India, Thailand and Hong Kong-China.
Group B for the Asia Cup comprises Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates. At the Asian Games in Japan Pakistan are seeded alongside Thailand and will meet them in a quarterfinal on September 17 at Korogi Athletic Park in Aichi; a win would advance Pakistan to a semifinal on September 20 against either Sri Lanka or Malaysia, with the bronze- and gold-medal matches set for September 22.
The squad named for both tournaments is: 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 are Tasmia Rubab, Humna Bilal, Maham Anees and Sadaf Shamas. They will begin their campaign at the Women's Asia Cup in Dubai starting August 28 and later contest the Asian Games quarterfinal on September 17 in Aichi.