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Wahab Riaz Defends Pakistan’s Asia Cup Squad Overhaul
Pakistan changed its women’s cricket team before the Asia Cup.
Seven players were left out of the squad.
Wahab Riaz said those players had been out of form and the team had not been getting good results.
He said new players were added to help build a stronger team for the future.
Former player Sana Mir disagreed with making so many changes at once.
Riaz said Mir was entitled to her opinion but that he did not agree with it.
Pakistan then lost to India by seven wickets.
The team now needs to beat Hong Kong to have a chance of reaching the semifinals.
Riaz said the players should trust themselves and learn from the loss.
Wahab Riaz defended Pakistan’s decision to drop seven players from its Women’s Asia Cup squad.
He said the changes were made with future tournaments in mind after poor results and prolonged loss of form.
Sana Mir criticized the management for making wholesale changes, including dropping Iram Javed, Aliya Riaz and Natalia Pervaiz.
Pakistan lost to India by seven wickets in the group stage on September 5, with India winning with 68 balls remaining.
Pakistan must beat Hong Kong in its final group match to keep its semifinal hopes alive.
- Who
- Pakistan women’s head coach Wahab Riaz defended the selection committee’s changes, while former cricketer Sana Mir criticized them.
- What
- Pakistan dropped seven players from its Women’s Asia Cup squad and subsequently lost to India by seven wickets.
- Where
- The match was a Women’s Asia Cup group-stage game; the articles do not specify the venue.
- When
- The India match was played on September 5; Riaz’s comments were published on September 6, 2026.
- Why
- Riaz said the changes were intended to address poor form and past results while building a team for future tournaments.
Squad Overhaul Support
Selection Criticism
Whether seven players should have been dropped
Squad Overhaul Support
Wahab Riaz said the players had been out of form, previous teams had produced poor results, and introducing new players was necessary for future tournaments.
Selection Criticism
Sana Mir criticized the management for making wholesale changes to the Women’s Asia Cup squad.
Key facts
- Squad changes
- Seven players were left out of Pakistan’s Asia Cup squad.
- Players named as dropped
- Iram Javed, Aliya Riaz and Natalia Pervaiz were among those omitted.
- Wahab Riaz’s rationale
- He said the omitted players had been out of form and the team had not been getting results.
- Criticism
- Sana Mir criticized the management for making wholesale changes.
- India-Pakistan result
- India defeated Pakistan by seven wickets, with 68 balls to spare.
- Pakistan’s next match
- Pakistan will face Hong Kong in its final group-stage match.
- Semifinal prospects
- Pakistan needs to win against Hong Kong to keep its semifinal hopes alive.
Quotes
Wahab Riaz
Pakistan women’s head coach and former Pakistan pacer
“Sana Mir has her own opinion. I have nothing to do with that opinion. We have made changes with the future in mind. The players who were playing before have played a lot of World Cups and Asia Cups, but we were not getting the results.”
news18.com
“So it was time to go with new faces and bring new girls into the mix to build the team for the upcoming tournaments. It isn’t about who we left behind. We have to look at the reality.”
news18.com
Sources
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