India women defeated Pakistan by 64 runs in their WT20 2026 opener in Birmingham.
Nasser Hussain, former England captain-turned-cricket pundit, has lamented the lack of exposure and opportunities for the Pakistan women’s team after they were routed by the Indian women in their opening game of the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.
In the game that was played on June 14 in Birmingham, India elected to bat first and posted 170/6 thanks to Smriti Mandhana’s 68, Harmanpreet Kaur’s 36 and Richa Ghosh’s 34. In response, though Muneeba Ali made 41, Deepti Sharma’s 5/10 bundled Pakistan out for 106 runs, giving Women in Blue a 64-run win.
Teams like Pakistan are unfairly disadvantaged while playing large teams like India, according to Nasser Hussain. According to Hussain's analysis of the game on Sky Cricket, the outcome of the match was determined before it ever began.
“I’m being a bit harsh on Pakistan, actually. I sort of felt I knew the result before I turned up to the game,” Hussain said on the Sky Cricket podcast.
Additionally, he raised an issue with the way franchise cricket is structured, with elite players from minor cricketing nations being disregarded while stars from larger nations are frequently signed.
“You know, it’s unfair; it’s an uneven playing field. You look at the big sides, & it’s a bit self-perpetuating because they are playing more franchise cricket. They get better, and because they get better, their national teams get better. And because that happens, they play even more franchise cricket,” Hussain said.
He further added, “So it’s not fair for Bangladesh and Pakistan, whose players don’t get the opportunity to go off and play in competitions like The Hundred. Marufa Akter from Bangladesh took wickets again yesterday, and Fatima Sana is an excellent cricketer. The world cricket and franchise leagues should be signing these players so that the competition is genuinely worldwide.”
Pakistan's next World Cup match is against South Africa on Wednesday, while India's next match is against the Netherlands on the same day.