As the cricket world gets ready for the 2026 Women’s T20 Asia Cup (August 28-September 13) in Dubai, Pakistan captain Fatima Sana revealed that her team is playing against a men’s domestic side in Lahore to prepare for the big event.
Two-time runners-up Pakistan have left no stone unturned in an attempt to win the elusive trophy.
But does playing against boys help a women’s cricket team improve their performance?
According to Chaya Mughal, who arrived in Dubai in 2010 to work as a teacher but ended up captaining the UAE national women’s cricket team, pitting your skills against boys who are stronger and faster can definitely help raise the bar.
Mughal said one of the primary reasons for the UAE’s incredible rise in women’s cricket is the decision of the country’s cricket board to let the women’s team play practice matches against men.
Mughal, who had played domestic cricket in India before arriving in the UAE, revealed during an interview with Khaleej Times in 2021 that playing against boys had helped the women’s team prepare for tougher challenges in international competitions.
“Despite the Covid, you know, thanks to the ECB (Emirates Cricket Board), we’ve got plenty of matches to play, especially playing with the boys, the under 16 boys, has given us immense confidence and match scenarios and practices that we were looking forward to,” Mughal had told the Khaleej Times on the eve of the Asia Cup qualifying tournament in 2021.
They went on to qualify for the 2022 Asia Cup in a historic first, a huge achievement for a country that had no ecosystem for women’s cricket until 2010.
Two years later, in 2024, they made it to the Asia Cup again. And now, having qualified for the 2026 Asia Cup, the UAE will play in the premier tournament as the home team, with the Dubai International Stadium being picked as the venue for the continental showpiece.
The likes of Esha Oza, the current UAE captain, Theertha Satish, Indhuja Nandakumar, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale and Vaishnave Mahesh have gained invaluable experience by playing against men’s teams featuring good pace bowlers.
“We wanted to practise and there were not enough girls to practise among ourselves. So that’s why we wanted to play with the under 16 boys. We played a lot of matches, and we’ve beaten them a number of times,” Mughal, who is now the UAE Women’s Cricket Development Officer, had said.
“We have gained the confidence to play those pace bowlers, you know, because the boys have the strength, everybody knows how hard they hit and how fast they bowl. So it was really good for us.”
There is still a huge gap between an associate team like the UAE and Pakistan, a traditional cricket-playing country.
For the UAE, which struggled to put together 11 players to build a team regularly until around 15 years ago, each practice match is an opportunity to be more competitive and qualify for big events like the Asia Cup.
For Pakistan, the challenge is to win tournaments like the Asia Cup.
After practice matches against a men’s team from the Abdul Qadir Cricket Academy in Lahore, Pakistan captain Fatima is confident of delivering a strong performance to win the Asia Cup for the first time in their history.
“We are well prepared for the tournament,” Fatima said. “We have played competitive matches against boys in which we were put under pressure. These learnings will help us adapt to the challenges of the competition.”
The biggest advantage of playing against boys, according to Fatima, is that it helps you prepare for crunch moments in a match.
“We needed to understand how to handle the pressure better, and that is something which is highlighted whenever there is a big tournament,” she said. “These matches have helped us on that front, and the difference will be visible.
“It is very important to stay calm in pressure situations rather than pressing the panic button. We have told the girls to stay calm in the crunch moments, stay in control, trust their hard work and execute the plans.”
Fans will be curious to see if Pakistan can handle the pressure, especially when they face bitter rivals India, the Asian powerhouse, in the blockbuster clash on September 5.
Playing against the boys is one of the key factors behind the UAE’s success in qualifying for three back-to-back Asia Cups.
Now, will the same strategy help Pakistan win their first-ever continental title?
Source: Khaleej Times