India defeated Pakistan by 7 wickets after bowling them out for 55 runs in Dubai.
Pakistan captain Fatima Sana has been sanctioned by the ICC for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during a Group A match of the ACC Women’s Asia Cup 2026 against India in Dubai on Saturday.
India's bowlers dominated the match, knocking out Pakistan for just 55 runs. Shree Charani and Prema Rawat picked three wickets each for India. The Pakistan captain fought a lone struggle with the ball, taking three wickets before India won the match by seven wickets.
The incident happened when Fatima Sana dismissed Shafali Verma for 14 runs in the second over. Verma, who had started aggressively, hitting the first ball of India’s chase for a six, was dismissed by Sana, caught and bowled.
Sana produced a solid-length delivery, and the ball bounced little more than the young Indian opener expected. She attempted to work the delivery through the leg side but only got a leading edge that lobbed back to the bowler.
The Pakistan captain then made no mistake in catching the ball and didn't hesitate to show Shafali the route back to the pavilion. However, the Indian opening batter did not react and simply marched back to the dressing room.
India won the game by 7 wickets in 8.4 overs with Harmanpreet Kaur (18*) guiding the team past the finish line.
However, Sana’s gesture to Shafali has cost her dearly, as she was fined 10 percent of her match fee after she was found to have breached Article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “using language, actions, or gestures that disparage or that could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon dismissal.”
Additionally, since this was her second offense in 24 months, one demerit point has been added to her disciplinary record, bringing her total number of demerit points during this time to two. On August 6, 2025, she was given a demerit point in a T20I match against Ireland in Dublin.
Fatima recognized her guilt and accepted the sanctions imposed by Supriya Das of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Referees; hence, there was no need for a formal hearing.
Level 1 violations result in a minimum punishment of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50% of the player's match fee, and one or two demerit points.
Indian women have qualified for the semi-final, along with Sri Lankan women. Pakistan will take on Hong Kong and China in the Asia Cup today, and they need to win this game to qualify for the semis.
(ICC inputs)