Pakistan flirted with disaster, then tore up the script.
Chasing 92 in 11 overs at Korogi Sports Park, Fatima Sana’s side turned what should have been a routine pursuit into a nerve-racking escape, finally scraping home by three wickets with two balls to spare to book their place in the Asian Games semifinals.
Sana’s double act: strikes with the ball, rescues with the bat
The day had already started in Pakistan’s favour. A wet outfield trimmed the contest to 11 overs a side, and Sana, reading the conditions, chose to bowl first. She then led from the front with the ball, striking in the second over and setting the tone for a disciplined start.
Thailand were squeezed early. Singles, dots, and mounting pressure. Then came the release.
In the seventh over, Umm-e-Hani lost her radar and Nannapat Koncharoenkai pounced. Consecutive fours, 14 runs off the over, and suddenly Thailand had a platform. Koncharoenkai anchored the innings with a composed 49, the standout knock of the match, threading gaps and punishing anything loose.
At the other end, Phannita Maya crawled to 15 off 16 before Thailand made a bold, tactical call: she was retired out with two overs left. It worked instantly. Skipper Naruemol Chaiwai walked in and launched a six and a four from her first two deliveries, injecting the late surge Thailand needed. She fell soon after, but the intent had shifted the mood.
Koncharoenkai added another boundary in the final over before Sana returned to trap her in front. Thailand closed on 91 for 4 – a total that looked merely competitive at the time, but would soon feel like a serious target.
Thailand tighten the noose
Pakistan’s chase began with authority. Shawaal Zulfiqar took charge, racing to 25 and cracking three boundaries and a six in the first three overs. At 33 on the board, Pakistan looked on course, the equation shrinking and the nerves quiet.
Then the game turned.
Zulfiqar’s dismissal in the fourth over stalled the innings, and offspinner Onnicha Kamchomphu seized control. She ripped through the middle, claiming three wickets and shredding Pakistan’s rhythm. At the other end, Suleeporn Laomi was miserly and ruthless, conceding just three runs across her two overs and removing Ayesha Zafar. Dot by dot, Thailand dragged the chase into dangerous territory.
The asking rate shot up to 11 an over. Pakistan, seven wickets down in an 11-over game, were suddenly staring at an upset.
One over, one captain, one decisive swing
Sana chose that moment to change everything.
Targeting Kamchomphu, she unleashed three fours and a six in a brutal counterattack. The over cost 25 runs, flipping the contest on its head and yanking momentum back to Pakistan. From a position of anxiety, they were now galloping.
Eyman Fatima joined the assault with a six of her own, and Thailand, who had been dictating terms, were suddenly scrambling for answers.
But the drama refused to die. Sana’s dismissal reopened the door, and when Eyman fell in the penultimate over, tension flooded back into the ground. Thailand sensed one last twist. Pakistan needed composure.
Tuba Hassan finishes the job
Tuba Hassan provided it – and added a flourish.
She clubbed a six and a four to all but seal the chase, her late cameo slicing through the remaining nerves. Her wicket, falling with the finish line in sight, came too late for Thailand. The damage was done.
With four needed off the final over, Pakistan knocked off the runs in singles, closing on 92 for 7 in 10.4 overs. No big shots, no risks. Just a calm walk to the finish after a chaotic sprint.
Thailand walked away with only regret and pride to show for it. Koncharoenkai’s 49, Kamchomphu’s 3 for 37, Laomi’s suffocating spell – all part of a performance that pushed a heavyweight to the brink, but not over it.
Pakistan, led in every sense by Sana’s 2 for 22 and 21 with the bat, survived. In tournaments like this, survival often matters as much as dominance.
Bangladesh advance without a ball bowled
Earlier at the same venue, the first quarterfinal between Bangladesh and Hong Kong, China never truly began. A wet outfield forced a washout, and Bangladesh progressed to the semifinals courtesy of their higher seeding.
So the last four will feature a Pakistan side that has already been forced to show its nerve. The question now is simple: was this their warning shot, or their wake-up call?
