Muneeba Ali Leads Pakistan Women's Team in Emerging Nations Trophy

Lahore, October 27: Muneeba Ali, a wicketkeeper-batter, has been named captain of Pakistan for the ICC Women's Emerging Nations Trophy 2026. Aayesha Zafar has been appointed vice-captain. The announcement was made by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday, along with a 14-member squad for the tournament.

The tournament will see 10 teams compete in Ajman, United Arab Emirates, from November 12 to 25. It marks Pakistan's first participation in the tournament, which made its debut in 2025.

Besides Muneeba and Aayesha, the squad features Iman Nasir, Iman Fatima, Sadaf Shamas, Saira Jabeen and Shawal Zulfiqar as batters. Gul Feroza, who was named the best wicketkeeper-batter at the recent National Women's T20 Tournament, has also been selected.

Nashra Sundhu, a left-arm spinner, will lead the bowling unit. Momina Riasat, Tuba Hassan and Umm-e-Hani will provide support in spin. Tasmiya Rubab and Waheeda Akhtar are the front-line pace options.

The team will play without its usual captain, Fatima Sana, who will be featuring in the Women's Big Bash League in Australia. Twelve players from the previous assignment have kept their places, while Sadaf Shamas and Waheeda Akhtar have been brought back into the side.

Pakistan, which won a bronze medal at the Asian Games in Japan recently, has been drawn in Group B along with defending champions Thailand, Bangladesh, the Netherlands and Zimbabwe. Group A consists of Sri Lanka, Ireland, Scotland, Papua New Guinea and hosts UAE.

The tournament includes 30 matches. It begins with a single round-robin league stage, after which the top three teams from each group qualify for the Super Six stage. Each team in the Super Six will play three matches, and the top two sides will face off in the final on November 25.

The Pakistan team will assemble in Lahore on November 6 and hold a three-day training camp from November 7 to 9 before leaving for the UAE.