Pakistan The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 ended with a convincing 37-run win over the Netherlands at the County Ground on Saturday, as they managed a mere 89 runs in 18 overs against the debutant bowlers.Captain Fatima Sana led the way with a superb performance, finishing with figures of 3-12, including a superb wicket-maiden, to put the game beyond the Dutch’s capabilities. Ayesha Zafar provided excellent support to take 3-13 to help Pakistan end their campaign with a victory and finish fifth in Group A.The Netherlands got off to an encouraging start as they chased Pakistan’s target, with Heather Seggs being positive from the start. In the opener, Sadia Iqbal, Fatima Sana and Diana Baig hit five boundaries, going from 16 to 24 runs. However, when Princess Diana tricked Heather into giving birth at a slower pace and trapped her fat baby, Pakistan fought back. DRS upheld the decision after confirming the live call.The Netherlands suffered another setback soon after when Eyman Fatima’s hard direct hit at short leg saw Phebe Molkenboer dismissed. Stre Kallis then teamed up with captain Babette Delid to try to stabilize the innings, but Pakistan’s spin attack gradually tightened things up. Nashra Sandhu and Tuba Hassan ran out of scoring chances and Sterre was dismissed for 12 when he chopped Nashra down on the stumps while trying to chip.Babette continued to play alongside Robin Leake, with the two relying mainly on singles and doubles to keep the chase going. Babette hit the boundaries on several occasions, including twice against part-time spinner Ayesha Zafar. However, Pakistan’s bowlers maintained excellent control and Ayesha soon decisively turned the match in her team’s favour. She trapped Robin LBW and then Sanya Khurana was stumped without a score before removing Frederique Overdijk, who took a direct catch to seal a six.After Iris Zwilling’s bizarre exit, any hope of a late-season revival was gone. Babette’s direct shot struck his batting partner at the non-striker’s end, leaving Aires stranded midway on the pitch. Ayesha reacted quickly, caught the ball and threw it to the goalkeeper for an unusual penalty kick.As the lower order comes to light, Fatima Sana gets the job done with grace. The Pakistan skipper dismissed Babette de Leede, who top-scored with 30, and then cleanly bowled Silver Siegers and Caroline de Lange to complete her stellar performance and seal the victory with ease. Heather Seegers contributed 24 points for the Netherlands, but it was not enough to stop Pakistan from ending their World Cup campaign on a positive note.
