Pakistan have announced separate ODI and T20I squads for their upcoming tour of Sri Lanka, with Fatima Sana leading the ODI leg and Muneeba Ali taking over as T20I captain in a dramatically reshuffled squad that features eight changes from the World Cup.
Pakistan have unveiled their squads for the tour of Sri Lanka, confirming a split-captaincy arrangement and a major overhaul of their T20I setup. Fatima Sana will captain the ODI side, while wicketkeeper-batter Muneeba Ali has been named T20I captain in Sana’s absence. The T20I squad features as many as eight changes from the team that competed at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in England, with the selectors making it clear they are already looking ahead to the 2028 edition.
The tour runs from July 23 to August 4, with all six matches to be played in Hambantota. The three ODIs form part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2025-29, carrying valuable qualification points, while the T20I series gives Pakistan a chance to reset after a disappointing World Cup campaign.
Fatima Sana to Lead the ODIs Before Departing for The Hundred
Fatima Sana, Pakistan’s regular captain across formats, will be available only for the ODI leg of the tour. After the third and final ODI on July 28, the all-rounder will depart for England to join Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred, making her the first Pakistan woman ever to feature in the franchise competition.
Sana arrives in Sri Lanka on the back of a standout individual performance at the T20 World Cup 2026, where she was named in the ICC Team of the Tournament after claiming 11 wickets and contributing 85 runs with the bat. Her triple-wicket maiden during the group stage became one of the highlights of the entire event.
The ODIs carry significant weight for Pakistan’s future planning. The ICC Women’s Championship determines automatic qualification for the next 50-over World Cup, and Pakistan cannot afford to drop points against Sri Lanka at this stage of the cycle. Sana’s presence in the ODI squad, alongside experienced campaigners like Sidra Amin, Sadaf Shamas, Gull Feroza, and Muneeba Ali, gives Pakistan a formidable batting and bowling combination for the 50-over matches.
Eight Changes Signal a Generational Shift in T20Is
The real story lies in the T20I squad, which has been rebuilt from the ground up. Eight players from the 15-member T20 World Cup squad have been dropped, and the selectors have made no attempt to disguise their intent. This is a squad constructed with the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2028 firmly in mind.
Gone from the World Cup squad are several established names, including senior all-rounder Aliya Riaz, who has been a fixture in Pakistan’s limited-overs sides for years; leg-spinner Sadia Iqbal; opening batter Gull Feroza; experienced seamer Diana Baig; middle-order batter Iram Javed; Natalia Parvaiz; and Rameen Shamim. Their omissions represent the most significant reset of Pakistan’s T20I squad in recent memory.
In their place, the selectors have introduced a wave of new and returning faces. Eman Naseer, Humna Bilal, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Maham Anees, Momina Riasat, and Najiha Alvi are among those drafted into a squad that looks younger, leaner, and more focused on building depth for the next global cycle.
The retention of Eyman Fatima, the 20-year-old batter who impressed during the Zimbabwe series earlier this season, and Tuba Hassan, the mystery leg-spinner who has been one of Pakistan’s most potent T20I weapons since her debut in 2022, provides a spine of proven performers around which the new faces can develop.
Muneeba Ali: The Right Captain at the Right Time
Muneeba Ali’s appointment as T20I captain is a natural progression. The 28-year-old Karachi-born left-hander is Pakistan’s most experienced women’s cricketer currently active in the shortest format and brings a calmness and tactical awareness that the young squad will need.
Her credentials are well established. In 2023, she became the first Pakistan player to score a T20I century, smashing 102 against South Africa at the T20 World Cup in Cape Town. She has previously captained Pakistan in high-pressure scenarios, most notably during the 2024 T20 World Cup in the UAE when Fatima Sana had to leave the tournament following the death of her father. Muneeba rallied the squad under devastating circumstances and earned the respect of her teammates and the broader cricket community.
As wicketkeeper and opening batter, Muneeba occupies two of the most influential positions in the T20I format. She can set the tempo with the bat at the top of the order and marshal the bowling attack from behind the stumps, making her an ideal choice to lead a developmental squad through a transitional series.
Full Squads
ODI Squad: Fatima Sana (captain), Ayesha Zafar, Gull Feroza, Maham Anees, Momina Riasat, Muneeba Ali, Najiha Alvi, Nashra Sundhu, Sadaf Shamas, Saira Jabeen, Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tasmia Rubab, Umm-e-Hani, Waheeda Akhter.
T20I Squad: Muneeba Ali (captain), Ayesha Zafar, Eman Naseer, Eyman Fatima, Humna Bilal, Maham Anees, Momina Riasat, Najiha Alvi, Nashra Sundhu, Saira Jabeen, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani, Waheeda Akhtar.
Tour Schedule (All Matches in Hambantota)
ODI Series (ICC Women’s Championship 2025-29)
- 1st ODI: July 23
- 2nd ODI: July 25
- 3rd ODI: July 28
T20I Series
- 1st T20I: July 31
- 2nd T20I: August 2
- 3rd T20I: August 4
The World Cup Fallout
The scale of the squad overhaul reflects the depth of Pakistan’s disappointment at the T20 World Cup 2026 in England. Despite arriving in the tournament with momentum from a clean sweep of Zimbabwe in both formats and an encouraging group-stage performance in the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup, Pakistan managed just one victory from five matches, beating only the Netherlands in their final group game.
Defeats to India, South Africa, Bangladesh, and eventual champions Australia exposed significant weaknesses in Pakistan’s batting depth, death-overs bowling, and fielding under pressure. While Fatima Sana’s individual brilliance earned her a Team of the Tournament berth, the collective performance fell well short of expectations.
The selectors’ response has been decisive. Rather than tinkering at the margins, they have opted for a full reset of the T20I squad, sacrificing short-term competitiveness against Sri Lanka in exchange for long-term development. The message is clear: the road to the 2028 T20 World Cup starts now, and only players who are part of that future will be given opportunities.
What This Means for Pakistan Women’s Cricket
The Sri Lanka tour encapsulates the dual priorities facing Pakistan women’s cricket in 2026. The ODI series is about results, with Women’s Championship points on the line and a strong squad selected to win. The T20I series is about investment, with a rebuilt squad designed to test the next generation under match conditions.
This approach mirrors the strategy employed by leading cricketing nations like Australia and England, who regularly use bilateral T20I series outside of World Cup years to rotate squads, test young talent, and manage the workloads of senior players. For Pakistan, historically reluctant to experiment with their women’s squads, the willingness to make eight changes and hand the captaincy to Muneeba Ali for the T20Is represents a genuine shift in mindset.
Fatima Sana’s concurrent participation in The Hundred adds another dimension. As the first Pakistan woman to compete in one of the world’s leading franchise tournaments, her performances at Birmingham Phoenix will be watched closely by the PCB, potential franchise buyers, and the growing community of Pakistani women’s cricket fans. If Sana thrives in the Hundred, it could open the door for more Pakistan women to secure franchise contracts in the years ahead.
For Muneeba Ali and the eight newcomers in the T20I squad, the Sri Lanka series is about making a case. The 2028 T20 World Cup is two years away, and the competition for places in that squad starts in Hambantota on July 31.
CricketVoices will provide match previews, squad analysis, and live coverage of Pakistan Women’s tour of Sri Lanka.
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