The format changed, but the result did not. Pakistan Women once again decimated the visitors. They scored their highest total ever in WT20Is and registered their biggest win in this format by dismissing Zimbabwe Women for their 3rd lowest total ever.
Yes, this win has come against a lower ranked side. But there is a clear difference in intent and approach, which might benefit Fatima Sana and co. in the upcoming T20 World Cup. The marquee tournament is only a month away.
However, before that two more matches remain in this series. Will we see the hosts put up more records? Will we see them experiment and try some different combinations? Will Zimbabwe bounce back and put a better showing? A lot to look forward to.
Do join us for the 2nd match on Thursday. For now, this is the quarter of Darpan Tikiya, Saptak Sanyal, Zeeshan Naiyer and Mohammad Anab signing off. Sayonara!
Biggest Win by Runs against a Full-Member Nation in WT20Is: 153 runs - Pakistan vs Zimbabwe, Karachi, 2026 (Tonight)* 132 runs - Australia vs Sri Lanka, North Sydney, 2019 132 runs - New Zealand vs Bangladesh, Christchurch, 2022
Fatima Sana (Pakistan Women Captain):"(153-run win. Is there anything you can't do these days as a team?) I think the credit goes to the team. They are playing exactly the way we want.
(Is there anything you need to work on?) I am satisfied with the teammates. They were awesome in every department.
(On the way Ayesha Zafar and Aliya Riaz played) I think Ayesha played is what we want. The aggressiveness with intent is good.
(Do you want to carry with the momentum or we will see some new faces in the coming games?) You will see more changes in the team (chuckles). Because we want to give chances to all the players."
Nomvelo Sibanda (Zimbabwe Women captain): "(Thoughts on the loss) Tough day in the office.
(The energy at the start was good. What happened afterwards?) We lost momentum along the way and it resulted in a big score. I thought that the energy dropped a bit. We put down a lot of catches. We are still a work in progress."
Ayesha Zafar (Player of the Match):"(Can you believe what you have done?) No actually. I am telling you to pinch me a bit because still it feels unbelievable.
(Was it in the plan to keep the momentum going when you came in?) I think the plan given by the coaching staff was simple. Play aggressive cricket and show some intent and that's what I did.
(It seemed that you enjoyed your batting) Yes the more you enjoy your batting, it becomes better. Honestly I was not going for the hundred but in the last two overs, I thought why not? Just go for it.
(The management is working well for you all) Definitely. Over the last six months we have been doing some work and I think it is showing."
Player of the Match: Ayesha Zafar
Time for the post-match presentations.
Lowest totals for Zimbabwe Women in T20Is (all-out or 20 overs)
61 (13.3 overs) â vs Vanuatu Women, Abu Dhabi, 2024
64/9 (20 overs) â vs New Zealand Women, Hamilton, 2026
84 (18.2 overs) â vs Pakistan Women, Karachi, 2026 (today)*
Biggest Defeat by Runs for Zimbabwe in WT20Is: 153 runs against Pakistan, Karachi, 2026 (Tonight)* 110 runs against New Zealand, Hamilton, 2026 92 runs against New Zealand, Hamilton, 2026
Biggest Win by Runs for Pakistan in WT20Is: 153 runs against Zimbabwe, Karachi, 2026 (Tonight)* 147 runs against Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, 2018 71 runs against UAE, Sylhet, 2022