Pakistan Stunned by Scotland in Final T20 World Cup Warmup

Pakistan’s women lost their second straight warmup on Tuesday, a 41-run DLS defeat to Scotland at the County Ground in Derby that leaves them without a tune-up win heading into Sunday’s 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup opener against India at Edgbaston. Scotland posted 191 for 5 in 20 overs behind captain Kathryn Bryce’s 94 off 43 balls, then watched Pakistan stumble to 62 for 5 in nine overs before rain ended the chase and confirmed the 41-run margin under the DLS method.

The slide started three days earlier. Sri Lanka had chased Pakistan’s 168 for 8 with nine wickets and eight balls to spare at the same ground on 6 June, behind Chamari Athapaththu’s 94 off 58. Pakistan now take the same top order into the marquee fixture of the group stage, and the same gap that left them light against a Sri Lanka chase is the gap India will look to expose on Sunday.

What Happened at the County Ground

Pakistan won the toss and put Scotland in, a choice that produced a tight opening six overs as Sadia Iqbal and Rameen Shamim conceded only 41 in the powerplay. Sadia broke the opening stand in the seventh over, clean bowling Katherine Fraser for 19 with an arm ball that kept low, and Tasmia Rubab trapped Darcey Carter lbw for 45 in the 12th. Bryce, dropped early by Nashra Sandhu, kept the boundary count moving against tired spells, and Scotland finished on 191 for 5.

Pakistan’s reply was over before the powerplay ended. Gull Feroza was caught at slip off Rachel Slater for 7 in the second over, Saira Jabeen fell to the same bowler one over later for 1, and Ayesha Zafar was trapped lbw by Katherine Fraser for 1 at 4.1. Muneeba Ali, the only batter to pass 20, hit one six in a 22-ball 20 before she was caught at cover by Chloe Abel off Bryce in the ninth over. By the time rain drove the players off, Pakistan were 62 for 5 and the DLS par score had already moved past them, per the official scorecard.

Umpires Anna Harris and Nimali Perera, with GS Lakshmi the match referee, never got the sides back out after the second rain delay. Scotland’s 41-run advantage on DLS stood as the final margin.

Bryce’s 94 Anchors a Captain’s Knock

Bryce’s innings was the pivot of the Scotland total. She walked in at the fall of Katherine Fraser in the seventh over, survived a dropped chance off Nashra Sandhu early in her stay, and went on to strike 11 fours and three sixes in a 43-ball stay that ended on 94 with a run out off the final ball of the innings. The Scotland captain added 50 runs in the final three overs, the death-overs surge that took her side past 190 after a steady start. Carter’s 45 from 36 at the other end had already done the early damage.

captain Kathryn Bryce led from the front with a blistering unbeaten 94 off 43 deliveries

Three of Pakistan’s bowlers took a wicket, with Tasmia Rubab (4-0-34), Sadia Iqbal (3-0-23) and Ayesha Zafar (3-0-34) each accounting for one. The death overs told the rest of the story: Pakistan leaked 18 runs in the 19th and 17 in the 20th, with five wides and a no-ball inflating Bryce’s final count. Scotland’s net run rate, in a match that does not officially count toward the tournament standings, still gave Bryce a captain’s platform heading into Saturday’s opener against Ireland at Old Trafford.

Two Warmups, Two Different Teams, One Problem

The Sri Lanka match three days earlier told a similar story. Pakistan posted 168 for 8 at Derby on 6 June, with Muneeba Ali (36 off 21) and captain Fatima Sana (37 off 26) the only batters to pass 30, and Chamari Athapaththu’s 94 off 58 took Sri Lanka home with nine wickets and eight balls to spare. The margin in both games was comfortable for the opposition; the shape was identical. Pakistan’s top order failed to give the middle order anything to work with in either fixture.

The same three batters opened the batting in both games. Gull Feroza made 26 in the first warmup and 7 in the second, Saira Jabeen made 12 then 1, and Ayesha Zafar made 10 then 1. The trio combined for 12 runs across the two chase-opening stands, before any of Muneeba Ali, Iram Javed or Fatima Sana came in.

Across both games, Pakistan’s top three fell inside the powerplay in three of the four completed innings they batted. The single exception was the Sri Lanka match, where Muneeba Ali and Gull Feroza put on 60 for the first wicket inside seven overs before Feroza chipped a return catch. That partnership is the only top-order stand of note across the two games, and it did not survive the powerplay. Pakistan’s chase against Sri Lanka saw them lose four wickets inside 14 overs, and against Scotland they were five down inside nine.

• 168/8 – Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, 6 June
• 169/1 in 18.4 ov – Sri Lanka chase
• 191/5 – Scotland vs Pakistan, 9 June
• 62/5 in 9 ov – Pakistan chase, rain-affected
• 41 runs – DLS margin in Scotland’s favour

For the full picture of how all four sides used their final warmup fixtures, our coverage of the four warmup wins has the New Zealand and Ireland results from Loughborough alongside the Derby double-header.

What India Will See on Sunday

India and Pakistan open their Group A campaigns at Edgbaston on Sunday at 14:30 BST, a 2:30 pm local start that the venue lists as part of a four-match Saturday of cricket. The match is Pakistan’s first competitive fixture of the tournament and the first read on whether the warmup picture will travel. Pakistan’s bowlers, who kept Scotland to 41 in the powerplay and broke the opening stand, have at least given themselves a base to defend.

The question is the chase. Pakistan needed 192 against Scotland and were 62 for 5 in nine overs; they needed 169 against Sri Lanka and lost by nine wickets in 18.4 overs with only Athapaththu and Vishmi Gunaratne seeing the chase through. India will be the first opposition that does not need a death-overs surge or a run-a-ball opening pair to dictate the rate. Pakistan’s top order has two days of training to find a 30-run opening stand, and the rest of the side needs to give them a chance to do it.

Group Stage Picture and the Saturday Slate

Pakistan sit in Group A with India, Australia, South Africa, Bangladesh and the Netherlands. The group is the harder of the two: Australia reached the 2024 semi-finals, South Africa played the 2024 final, and India bring a settled line-up that warmed up with a four-wicket win in their only other completed match.

Group B opens on Friday 12 June at Edgbaston, with hosts England taking on Sri Lanka in the tournament’s first match at 18:30 BST. Saturday 13 June has four fixtures across the two groups, with West Indies vs New Zealand in Southampton, Australia vs South Africa at Old Trafford in a 2024 semi-final rematch, and Scotland vs Ireland at the same venue. The full Saturday is on the full 2026 tournament schedule.

Pakistan’s schedule from there is South Africa (17 June, Edgbaston), Bangladesh (20 June, Southampton), Australia (23 June, Headingley) and the Netherlands (27 June, Bristol). The matches against South Africa and Australia, alongside the Sunday opener against India, are the games that will define the group. Pakistan’s chase has not arrived in either of the two fixtures they have played, and the next time it counts is the game that opens the tournament’s marquee day.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does Pakistan play India at the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup?

Pakistan and India open their Group A campaigns at Edgbaston on Sunday 14 June at 14:30 BST, per the official tournament schedule.

What group is Pakistan in at the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026?

Pakistan are in Group A with India, Australia, South Africa, Bangladesh and the Netherlands. Group B contains hosts England, New Zealand, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Ireland and Scotland.

What was the result of Pakistan’s warmup against Scotland?

Scotland won by 41 runs under the DLS method after rain ended Pakistan’s chase at 62 for 5 in nine overs. Scotland had posted 191 for 5 in 20 overs, anchored by Kathryn Bryce’s 94 off 43 balls.

How did Pakistan lose to Sri Lanka in their first warmup?

Sri Lanka chased Pakistan’s 168 for 8 in 18.4 overs with nine wickets in hand on 6 June at Derby, behind Chamari Athapaththu’s 94 off 58. Pakistan had only Muneeba Ali (36) and Fatima Sana (37) pass 30.

When does the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup start and where is the final?

The tournament opens on 12 June at Edgbaston with hosts England taking on Sri Lanka, and runs through to the final on 5 July at Lord’s in London.