Pakistan secured their place in the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 semifinals with a dominant 72-run victory over Hong Kong, China. The win was anchored by a historic performance from left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu, who became the first Pakistan bowler to claim six wickets in a Women’s T20I. Her figures of 6-7 represent the best-ever bowling performance by a Pakistan woman in the format and marked her maiden T20I five-wicket haul.
Batting first, Pakistan posted a total of 143/8 in their 20 overs. Opener Shawaal Zulfiqar led the scoring with 47 off 35 balls, while Ayesha Zafar added 26. Despite a mid-innings collapse that saw the team slip from 92/2 to 101/6, Pakistan managed to push past 140. Hong Kong’s Joyleen Kaur was the standout bowler, finishing with 4-19, supported by Iqra Sahar who claimed 2-27.
In response, Hong Kong struggled early, reaching 28/2 by the end of the Powerplay. Mariko Hill fell for her third consecutive duck, and Natasha Miles was dismissed by Sadia Iqbal’s first delivery. Sandhu entered the attack immediately after the Powerplay, breaking the partnership between Yasmin Daswani and Kary Chan. She quickly dismantled the middle order, taking the wickets of Marina Lamplough and Maryam Bibi in quick succession to leave the opposition at 40/5.
Sandhu continued her dominance by dismissing Shanzeen Shahzad and Alison Sui, putting herself on a hat-trick. She utilized a mix of flight and pace to secure her sixth wicket on the final ball of her spell. Kary Chan offered the only significant resistance with 30 runs before being bowled by Ayesha Zafar in the 16th over. Hong Kong was eventually bowled out for 71 in 19 overs. Sandhu’s feat marks the second six-wicket haul of the tournament, following Chamari Athapaththu’s 7-5 against Indonesia.
With this victory, Pakistan advances to the second semi-final, where they are scheduled to face Sri Lanka on September 11. Brief scores: Pakistan 143/8 (Shawaal Zulfiqar 47, Ayesha Zafar 26; Joyleen Kaur 4-19) beat Hong Kong, China 71 all out (Kary Chan 30; Nashra Sandhu 6-7, Fatima Sana 1-7) by 72 runs. The report also notes that right after the Powerplay, HKC had ambled to 28/2 in their chase of 144, by the time left-arm spinner Sandhu came into the attack. The report also notes that kicking out any chance of a miraculous comeback, that reduced them to 40/5. The report also notes that after Nida Dar (2018) and Omaima Sohail (2022), both against Sri Lanka, she also became only the third Pakistan bowler to take a Women’s T20I five-for. The report also notes that kaur, though, had a better time in the middle earlier in the evening. The report also notes that from 92/2, they slipped to 101/6, giving HKC reasons to smile.
