Pakistan Women's Cricket Team Played Full T20 Matches Against Boys to Prep for Asia Cup

Pakistan's women's cricket team ran an unusual drill before this year's Women's Asia Cup. Instead of standard net sessions, they played full Twenty20 matches against a boys' side from the Abdul Qadir Cricket Academy during a 10-day training camp at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, according to Cricinfo. The camp ran from August 16 to August 25.

These weren't scenario-based practice drills. They were complete 20-over games under full T20 rules, against a mix of teenage and senior male players, according to Hindustan Times and NDTV. The idea was simple: create real jeopardy, with real overs to defend, real momentum swings, and real consequences for mistakes.

Pakistan captain Fatima Sana said the move was about exposing her team to pressure they haven't handled well in past tournaments. "We are well prepared for the tournament," Sana said, as quoted by Cricinfo. "We have played competitive matches against boys in which we were put under pressure. These learnings will help us adapt to the challenges of the competition."

A Team That Keeps Falling Short

Pakistan has never won the Women's Asia Cup. Their best finishes came in 2012 and 2016, when they reached the final both times and lost to India, according to Hindustan Times. They haven't made a final since. In the last two editions, they were knocked out in the semifinals, most recently losing to Sri Lanka's eventual champions in 2024, according to femalecricket.

Their most recent T20 World Cup was rough. Pakistan won just one of five matches, beating the Netherlands, while losing close games to South Africa and Bangladesh and getting outclassed by India and Australia, according to NDTV. Sana called out fielding lapses and uncertainty against tougher sides as recurring problems.

Sana herself was one of the few bright spots. She scored an unbeaten 55 off 38 balls against South Africa and finished the tournament with 11 wickets, the second-highest tally in the competition and the most by any fast bowler, according to femalecricket.

Why Play Boys, Specifically

Pakistan isn't inventing this approach from scratch. cricket.sportsgoln reported that Bangladesh's women used a similar method, playing an Under-15 boys' team ahead of the most recent Women's ODI World Cup. The logic is the same in both cases: men's teams, even young or developmental ones, generally bring more pace, more physicality and a different tempo than most women's domestic opposition. That difference forces batters and bowlers to adjust quickly.

Sana framed the camp explicitly around composure. "We needed to understand how to handle the pressure better, and that is something which is highlighted whenever there is a big tournament," she said, according to Hindustan Times. "It is very important to stay calm in pressure situations rather than pressing the panic button. We have told the girls to stay calm in the crunch moments, stay in control, trust their hard work and execute the plans."

Sana returns to lead the side after missing Pakistan's three-match T20I series in Sri Lanka, which they lost 2-1, while she played for Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred, according to femalecricket.

The Draw Ahead

The Women's Asia Cup runs in the UAE from August 28 to September 13, marking the first time the tournament has been hosted there, according to femalecricket. Eight teams are split into two groups. Pakistan sits in Group A with India, Thailand and Hong Kong, while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the UAE and Indonesia make up Group B.

Pakistan opens against Thailand on September 1, faces India on September 5, and closes group play against Hong Kong on September 7, according to NDTV and Hindustan Times. India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have combined to win every edition of the tournament since its 2012 launch, with Sri Lanka the reigning champion under Chamari Athapaththu.

Pakistan's squad, led by Sana, includes wicketkeeper Muneeba Ali Siddiqui and bowlers Sadia Iqbal and Nashra Sundhu, according to NDTV's published squad list. None of that roster has ever played in an Asia Cup final. The September 5 match against India, a team Pakistan has lost to in both of its prior Asia Cup final appearances, will be the first real test of whether facing boys in Lahore translated into results on the field.