Wahab Riaz’s assertion that “Pakistan is the best side in this Asia Cup” came as a surprise, particularly because it was made immediately after his team had been bowled out for just 55 by India. The Pakistan coach remained confident despite the heavy defeat, backing his side to win the Women’s Asia Cup after India chased down the target in only 8.4 overs to secure a seven-wicket victory in Dubai on Saturday.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Riaz insisted that Pakistan remained strong contenders for the title. He pointed to the conditions being favourable for his team and said the players could quickly move past their disappointing performance against India.
“I still believe Pakistan is the best side in this Asia Cup to lift the trophy because the conditions really suit us,” Riaz told reporters.
His confidence came after Pakistan endured a disastrous batting collapse. The team was dismissed for 55 in 18.1 overs, their lowest-ever total in recorded T20I cricket, before India reached the target with 68 balls to spare.
Riaz said the team would analyse its mistakes and work to ensure they were not repeated in their remaining matches.
“We will go back and discuss what we did wrong against India. We will try not to commit the same mistakes,” he said.
Pakistan struggled to put together meaningful partnerships, with only Muneeba Ali and Shawal Zulfiqar reaching double figures. India’s bowlers maintained pressure throughout the innings, with Shree Charani claiming three wickets, while Deepti Sharma and Prema Rawat took two each.
RIAZ DEFENDS SQUAD OVERHAUL
Riaz also faced questions about criticism from former Pakistan captain Sana Mir regarding the decision to make seven changes to the squad following the T20 World Cup earlier this year.
The Pakistan coach defended the move, saying the experienced players who were dropped had failed to deliver the results expected of them.
“We have made changes with the future in mind. The players who were playing before, they have played a lot of World Cups and Asia Cups but we weren’t getting the results,” Riaz said.
He added that Pakistan needed to introduce younger players and build a squad capable of competing in upcoming tournaments.
“It was time to go with new faces and bring new girls into the mix to build the team for the upcoming tournaments,” he said.
PAKISTAN'S SEMI-FINAL HOPES DIMMING
Pakistan’s qualification hopes have now become more uncertain. They will face Hong Kong in their final group match and cannot afford another loss if they want to stay in the race for a semi-final spot. Pakistan have collected two points from two games and are currently level with Thailand.
India, meanwhile, have already booked their place in the last four after winning all three of their group matches. The victory over Pakistan also further strengthened India’s dominant record against their neighbours in women’s T20 cricket.
