Muneeba Ali to captain Pakistan women at Emerging Nations Trophy as PCB names 14-player squad

The Pakistan Cricket Board has named its 14-player women’s squad for the ICC Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy 2026, handing the captaincy to wicketkeeper-batter Muneeba Ali. Ayesha Zafar will be her deputy. The ten-team tournament runs from November 12 to 25 in Ajman, United Arab Emirates, and Pakistan will be playing in it for the first time.

Why Muneeba has the job
Regular captain Fatima Sana is unavailable for this one. She is off playing her first season in Australia’s Women’s Big Bash League, so the board has turned to Muneeba, who is no stranger to the role — she has already led Pakistan in four T20 internationals and one ODI.

Who made the cut
Alongside Muneeba and Ayesha, the batting group features Eman Naseer, Eyman Fatima, Sadaf Shamas, Saira Jabeen, Shawaal Zulfiqar and Gull Feroza, recently named the best wicketkeeper-batter at the National Women’s T20 Tournament. Nashra Sandhu leads a spin attack that also includes Momina Riasat, Tuba Hassan and Umm-e-Hani, while Tasmia Rubab and Waheeda Akhtar are the frontline pace options. Twelve players kept their places from the previous squad; Sadaf Shamas and Waheeda Akhtar earned recalls.

The format, and Pakistan’s group
Pakistan are in Group B with defending champions Thailand, Bangladesh, the Netherlands and Zimbabwe. Group A brings together Sri Lanka, Ireland, Scotland, Papua New Guinea and hosts the UAE. Thirty matches are scheduled in all: the top three from each group go through to the Super Six stage, and the top two from there contest the final.

The build-up
The squad assembles in Lahore on November 6 for a three-day training camp from November 7 to 9 before flying out to the UAE. It is a side with recent momentum behind it — most of these players were part of the team that won bronze at the Asian Games in Japan — and Ajman is their next chance to turn that promise into silverware.