Fatima Sana (centre) from Pakistan celebrates the wicket with her teammates (Getty Images)
Pakistan exited the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup with a convincing 37-run win over Netherlands at the County Ground on Saturday, producing a disciplined bowling display to bowl out the tournament’s debutants for just 89 in 18 overs.Captain Fatima Sana led from the front with a brilliant spell, finishing with figures of 3-12, including a brilliant first hat-trick that put the game out of reach for the Netherlands. Aisha Zafar provided excellent support with a 3-13 win as Pakistan wrapped up their campaign with a win to finish fifth in Group A.In their pursuit of Pakistan’s goal, the Netherlands made an encouraging start through Heather Seegers, who played positively from the start.
The opener hit five boundaries while facing Sadia Iqbal, Fatima Sana and Diana Baig, racing to 24 from just 16 deliveries. However, Pakistan hit back when Diana Heather bamboozled with a slower delivery that led to her holding her weight. The decision was upheld after the DRS confirmed the field call.The Netherlands suffered another setback soon after when Phoebe Molkenboer was run out for eight after a sharp direct hit from Iman Fatima at short leg.
Sterre Kalis then joined captain Babette de Leede in an attempt to stabilize the innings, but Pakistan’s spin attack gradually tightened its grip. Nashra Sandu and Toba Hassan exhausted scoring opportunities, and Steer eventually departed for 12 minutes after Nashra clipped her stumps while attempting a shot.Babbitt continued to battle alongside Robin Riki as the duo relied mainly on singles and doubles to keep the chase alive.
Babbitt found the boundaries on a few occasions, including twice against part-time spinner Ayesha Zafar. However, the Pakistani bowlers maintained excellent control and Aisha quickly turned the match decisively in her team’s favour. She trapped Robine lbw before Sanya Khurana was stumped without scoring and then removed Frederique Overdijk, who cut the ball straight back to cover for six.Any hopes of a late revival were dashed after a bizarre runout involving Iris Zwilling.
Babbitt’s straight drive bounced off her batting partner at the non-striker’s end, leaving Iris stranded halfway down the pitch. Aisha reacted quickly to collect the ball and throw it to the wicket-keeper to complete the unusual dismissal.With the bottom order revealed, Fatima Sana finished the job in style. She dismissed Pakistan captain Babette De Lady, who top-scored with 30, before overcoming the Silver Seagers and Caroline De Lange to complete her impressive spell and secure a comfortable win. Heather Segers contributed 24 goals for the Netherlands, but it was not enough to prevent Pakistan from ending their World Cup campaign on a positive note.
