Pakistan women’s team mentor Wahab Riaz has made a bold claim about his side’s chances of winning the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 despite their humiliating seven-wicket defeat against India, insisting that Pakistan remain the “best side” in the tournament.
Pakistan endured a nightmare outing against their arch-rivals in Dubai on Saturday, being bowled out for just 55, their lowest-ever total in T20 internationals. India chased down the target in only 8.4 overs to complete a dominant seven-wicket victory.
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Despite the heavy defeat, Riaz remained confident about Pakistan’s prospects and backed the players to bounce back in their next match against Hong Kong.
“I believe that all the players in our team are very skilful, and they just need to trust themselves. Our next match is against Hong Kong. We will go back and discuss what we did wrong against India. We won’t commit the same mistakes,” Riaz told reporters after the defeat.
“I still believe Pakistan is the best side in this Asia Cup to lift the trophy because the conditions really suit us,” he added.
Wahab Riaz Defends Pakistan’s Team Selection
Riaz’s comments came amid criticism of Pakistan’s team management and its decision to move away from several experienced players.
Former Pakistan captain Sana Mir had questioned aspects of the team’s approach, but Riaz distanced himself from her assessment and insisted that the management had made changes with the future in mind.
“Sana Mir has her own opinion. I have nothing to do with that opinion. We have made changes with the future in mind,” Riaz said.
He argued that the players who had previously represented Pakistan had been given plenty of opportunities at major tournaments, but the results had not improved.
“The players who were playing before, they have played a lot of World Cups and Asia Cups but we weren’t getting the results. So it was time to go with new faces and bring new girls into the mix to build the team for the upcoming tournaments,” he added.
‘The Girls Who Were Left Out Weren’t Performing’
Riaz also defended the decision to leave several established players out of the squad, insisting that selection was based on performance rather than reputation.
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“It is not about who we left behind. We have to look at the reality. The girls who were left out weren’t performing at all. I think we did the right move by bringing new girls into the mix,” he said.
Pakistan will now turn their attention to Hong Kong, knowing that they need a strong response after the India defeat. The PCB confirmed that Pakistan’s next Group A fixture will be against Hong Kong on September 7.
With their batting collapsing for 55 against India, Riaz’s claim that Pakistan are still the tournament’s best side will now face its biggest test. The team will need a vastly improved performance if it is to justify the confidence of its mentor and keep its Asia Cup campaign on track.