Bundled for 55 by India, 'Pakistan still the best' says coach in bizarre statement

Women's Asia Cup: Pakistan were bowled out for 55 before India raced to victory in just 8.4 overs. Yet coach Wahab Riaz insisted his side remained the best team in the Women's Asia Cup, a claim that raised eyebrows.Pakistan captain Fatima Sana after the defeat against India.“Pakistan is the best side in this Asia Cup” — Wahab Riaz’s claim would have been surprising in any context, but it came moments after his team had been bowled out for 55 by India. The Pakistan coach’s assessment left everyone puzzled as India chased down the target in just 8.4 overs to seal a seven-wicket win in Dubai on Saturday.Riaz made the bizarre statement during his post-match press conference, backing Pakistan to lift the Women’s Asia Cup despite their emphatic defeat. He argued that the conditions suited his team and insisted the players could quickly put their poor showing against India behind them.IND vs PAK, Women's Asia Cup: Highlights | Scorecard“I still believe Pakistan is the best side in this Asia Cup to lift the trophy because the conditions really suit us,” Riaz told reporters. The confidence came after Pakistan endured a disastrous batting display. They were dismissed for 55 in 18.1 overs, their lowest total in recorded T20I cricket, before India reached the target with 68 balls remaining.“We will go back and discuss what we did wrong against India. We will try not to commit the same mistakes,” Riaz said. Pakistan struggled to build any sort of partnership, with only Muneeba Ali and Shawal Zulfiqar managing double-digit scores. India’s bowlers kept the pressure on throughout, with Shree Charani taking three wickets while Deepti Sharma and Prema Rawat picked up two each.RIAZ DEFENDS SQUAD OVERHAULRiaz was also asked about criticism from former Pakistan captain Sana Mir over the decision to make seven changes to the squad after the T20 World Cup earlier this year.The Pakistan coach defended the overhaul, arguing that the experienced players who were left out had not produced the results expected of them.“We have made changes with the future in mind. The players who were playing before, they have played a lot of World Cups and Asia Cups but we weren’t getting the results,” Riaz said.“It was time to go with new faces and bring new girls into the mix to build the team for the upcoming tournaments,” he added.PAKISTAN'S SEMI-FINAL HOPES DIMMINGPakistan now face Hong Kong in their final group match and cannot afford another defeat if they are to remain in contention for the semi-finals. They have two points from two matches and are level with Thailand in the group.India, meanwhile, have already secured their place in the last four after winning all three of their group matches. Their latest victory also extended their dominant record against Pakistan in women's T20 cricket.- EndsPublished By: Debodinna ChakrabortyPublished On: Sep 6, 2026 10:40 IST