🏏ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026: Group A: Ind W vs Pak W, M6 - Page 3

Three buses lined up at the City Street Station to ferry a long queue of cricket enthusiasts for the opening game of the 2026 T20 World Cup, barely a few miles away from the Edgbaston Cricket Stadium. The queue looked long; the laziness to count the number of people notwithstanding, David Hilbert needn't be bothered.

Welcoming them at the stadium was the unmissable sight of a strong, six-foot man holding a banner to call out racism; a cause he has been standing up against the Warwickshire County Cricket Club since 2022, when he alleges being manhandled and unfairly thrown out of the stadium by the security, and his complaints of the mistreatment have fallen on deaf ears since. He turns up with his non-violent protest outside the stadium every time there is an 'important' game, hoping to be heard.

Giving him company were two Gujarati cap sellers, born on either side of the India-Pakistan border. Both haven't had much success selling their wares, but at least they had company. One of them was bargaining with the distributor that vuvuzelas won't sell, the other was trying to hold up his stall against the repeated spells of wind that carried the caps flying to the other side of the road. They had turned up on the street outside the stadium sensing a business opportunity.

The one who got the extra earning opportunity for the day though, was totally unaware why it had come his way. Down Edgbaston Street, 25-year-old Ismail was manning the traffic at the crossroads. A self-confessed cricket tragic who moved from Lahore a year ago, Ismail was stationed to offer security at the junction but was absolutely clueless when a man inside a car at the signal rolled down his window and asked, 'Is there a match going on?' For all his love for cricket, Ismail couldn't care enough; he was just excited at the prospect of earning GBP 160 for this one-day makeshift duty - higher than his usual pay.

For varying reasons, they had all turned up - known or unknown to them - on that street because a 'big event' was happening. So did 14,000-odd spectators to welcome the World Cup back home.

Clearly, there is an enormity to this Women's World Cup, and unlike London, Birmingham isn't quite decked up in preparation. Well past 9 PM, the skies were still blue and bright; everything visible clear as day. But it was hard to fathom that this was the sight of a global extravaganza aiming to become 'a movement, not a moment'. Across a dull landscape, the World Cup posters springing a mix of purple, pink and red should have ideally popped out. Instead, they merged with the rest of the advertising hoardings - from McDonald's McFrape to 7UP - all colouring themselves in similar shades, the World Cup banners don't quite disrupt the eye. Nor did the stadium's sound - or the lack of it - draw any attention. Even as Danni Wyatt was pummelling the Sri Lankan bowlers to a record century, there wasn't a decibel of noise outside that could turn heads on a quiet street to make someone even wonder if a match was being played inside.

If the World Cup needed some noise, colour and disruption, a charged Sunday desi-fest - India vs Pakistan in Birmingham - is coming. For all practical purposes, this isn't quite the cricketing rivalry that advertisers and broadcasters would queue up for. Yet, it's hard to miss the frequency with which the two teams have ended up in the same group over the past few years. Clearly, this is with a purpose. Even if not for cricketing reasons, this is the contest the organisers would hope will intensify the appeal for the sport among the locals, fairly crowded by the South Asian diaspora. It's cruel to minimise the popularity of a world tournament down to the eyeballs drawn by one contest, but its power even sans the external hype is hard to overlook.

On paper, the two sides don't quite measure up at the same level. Yet, Pakistan have given India more than a few moments of scare beyond the two victories they clinched at the World Cups. And they are quite capable of doing that again, especially if captain Fatima Sana is fully fit.

While both teams are coming into the tournament having picked a fair few losses in the last month, unlike India's experiments to find the perfect combination, Pakistan are clear with their limitations and a simplified game plan: attack. Whether they will be able to seize the pressure of the day or if their best can win them the contest is another question altogether. But if they manage to do that, there should be enough to make the contest riveting, and as a result, loud enough to be heard. For more than just some caps to sell; for the tournament to get its due.

What to expect: Birmingham hasn't been a high scoring venue, with the run-rate hovering around 6.55 in women's T20s over the past four years at the venue. However, Danni Wyatt's performance in the opening game would provide free-stroking batters some optimism.

Team News:

India: In the lead-up to the World Cup, India haven't quite cracked their best combination. A trail of losses against South Africa and England have offered India a much-needed perspective towards their weaknesses. The trial with the injury-returned Yastika Bhatia has delivered mixed results so far, and moreover sucked away some power from the lower middle order.

Probable XI: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur, Richa Ghosh, Bharti Fulmali, Deepti Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil/Nandni Sharma, Shree Charani, Renuka Thakur

Pakistan: Fatima Sana suffered an injury to her right knee during practice. Her availability for the contest remains uncertain. Another senior player, Aliya Riaz, too wasn't spotted at practice.

Probable XI: Muneeba Ali, Gull Feroza, Ayesha Zafar, Saira Jabeen, Aliya Riaz/Iram Javed, Eyman Fatima, Rameen Shamim, Fatima Sana/Diana Baig, Tasmia Rubab, Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Iqbal

Did you know?

- Deepti Sharma needs five wickets to go past Thipatcha Putthawong (Thailand) to become the leading wicket-taker in Women's T20Is

- Across formats, Pakistan have beaten India only thrice - two of the victories coming in T20 World Cups

- India and Pakistan have never played a bilateral series; all their encounters have taken place in global or continental tournaments

What they said:

"When things are always going well, sometimes you don't know which areas you need to improve on as a team, but when you lose, you learn a lot. That's what the last one and half-month has shown: (there are a) lot of things, lots of scope for improvement. That's what we have been discussing in team meetings and trying to apply ourselves on the field - how we can do better in that area, how to improve ourselves and bring that onto the field. Those losses (against England) have given us a lot of learning, and hopefully, we'll use that experience for this tournament" - Harmanpreet Kaur, India captain

"We've been planning this (brand of attacking cricket) for quite some time and also wanted to execute it in batting - that we play fearless and play attacking. Because obviously, as we've seen in T20s, there is a dominating scene going on. So the attempt is that the more you dominate the bowlers the easier it will be. So the effort for all batters is to play attacking (cricket), whether it is the start, middle overs or the end because the more aggressively you play, the more the opposing team gets under pressure." - Fatima Sana, Pakistan captain

13:15 Local Time, 12:15 GMT, 17:45 IST: There's a sense of excitement around this Indian side like never before. The expectation has always been there, but this time it is accompanied by a calm confidence rather than nervous anticipation. The belief comes from experience. They have been to the summit before, they have lifted a WC trophy before, and now they arrive with their sights set on adding more silverware to the cabinet. The reigning ODI world champions begin their Women's T20 World Cup campaign today, and the fixture list has thrown up a blockbuster straightaway. It is India versus Pakistan, a rivalry that rarely needs any introduction. On paper, India possess the stronger squad, greater depth and considerably more experience at this level. But World Cups have a way of ignoring reputations, and Pakistan have shown that they can rise to the occasion when least expected. The stage is set for another chapter in this rivalry as both teams look to get their campaign off to the perfect start.

I was thinking ki how I am missing this one

India won the toss and opted to BAT first.

Time for the Toss from India-Pakistan: The Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur has the coin. The Pakistan captain Fatima Sana calls heads; it is a tail and India will bat.