Table of Contents
The Women’s Asia Cup 2026 is ongoing. On Saturday, the India Women’s National Cricket Team took on the Pakistan Women’s National Cricket Team at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai. During the match, Pakistan captain Fatima Sana gave a send-off to opener Shafali Verma, and she has now been sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) following her reaction.
Harmanpreet Kaur’s side defeated Fatima Sana’s side once again in a major tournament. The India vs Pakistan match has been one-sided in recent times, and it was clearly seen last Saturday as the Women in Green were bowled out for just 55 runs. This showcases the quality difference between the two teams in the present scenario.
Fatima Sana fined by ICC
Fatima Sana has been fined 10 percent of her match fee for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct. After she dismissed India opener Shafali Verma, caught and bowled, and gestured her towards the pavilion, she faced backlash from former players after Pakistan were bowled out for 55 runs.
She has been found to have breached article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which states that “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon dismissal.”
Fatima Sana accepted guilt
Apart from the fine, the Pakistan Women team captain has also been handed one demerit point, which has been added to her disciplinary record. It was her second offence in 24 months, taking her tally of demerit points in this period to two. She received the last demerit point during a T20I game against Ireland in Dublin on August 6 in 2025.
Fatima acknowledged her mistake and accepted the punishment 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.
India spinners dominated against Pakistan
Coming to the match, Harmanpreet Kaur in the India vs Pakistan match achieved the rare milestone as she became the first captain to lead a side in 150 T20I matches in men's and women's combined. Sana won the toss and opted to bat first as the Pakistan openers Muneeba Ali and Shawaal Zulfiqar were steady at the start.
Shafali Verma provided the first wicket as she dismissed Muneeba. After that, the wickets kept on tumbling as Shree Charani and Deepti Sharma, along with leg-spinner Prema Rawat, joined the party. The Pakistan side were bowled out for 55 runs, and it was the lowest ever score by the side in the WT20Is.
While chasing, India lost three wickets, with Fatima Sana picking all three, as they won the game comfortably, with Kaur finishing the match by hitting a six as she remained unbeaten on 18 runs, and Deepti Sharma scoring 12* runs. They qualified for the knockout stages as group toppers.
