Fatima Sana will lead Pakistan in the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Saturday announced a 15-member squad for the tournament, as well as a tri-series featuring Ireland and the West Indies.

According to a press release by the PCB, Pakistan will feature in a tri-series in Dublin from May 28 to June 4, where hosts Ireland and the West Indies are the other two participating teams. Pakistan is set to play four matches in the event.

“The tournament will help Pakistan and the other two sides gear up for the 12-team ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, scheduled to take place from June 12 to July 5,” the cricket board said.

Among the 15 players selected by the Women’s National Selection Committee, Eyman Fatima, Natalia Pervaiz, Rameen Shamim, Saira Jabeen and Tasmia Rubab will feature in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup for the first time.

It said 24-year-old Fatima, who will feature in her third ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, would captain the side for the second successive T20 World Cup after having led the team in the previous edition held in the UAE in 2024.

Ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in England and Wales, the Pakistan women’s team will play two warm-up fixtures — against Sri Lanka on June 6 and against Scotland on June 9. Both matches will take place in Derby.

“Pakistan will begin their campaign against India at Edgbaston in Birmingham on June 14, before facing South Africa at the same venue on June 17,” the PCB said, adding that the team will then travel to Southampton to face Bangladesh at the Hampshire Bowl on June 20.

Their fourth fixture will be against Australia at Headingley in Leeds on June 23, while their final group-stage match will be against the Netherlands at the Bristol County Ground in Bristol on June 27.

The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals, scheduled for June 30 and July 2, respectively. The final will be staged at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London on July 5.

15-member squad:

Fatima Sana (captain), Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Zafar, Diana Baig, Eyman Fatima, Gull Feroza, Iram Javed, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui (wk), Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Pervaiz, Rameen Shamim, Sadia Iqbal, Saira Jabeen, Tasmia Rubab and Tuba Hassan.

Non-travelling reserves:

Amber Kainat, Momina Riasat, Sadaf Shamas, Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah and Umm-e-Hani.

Player support personnel:

Ayesha Ashhar (manager), Wahab Riaz (mentor/head coach), Abdur Rehman (spin bowling coach), Umaid Asif (fast bowling coach), Abdul Majeed (fielding coach), Imran Farhat (batting coach), Muhammad Arslan (media manager for tri-series only), Raza Kitchlew (media manager for World Cup), Waleed Ahmed (analyst), Moeen (strength and conditioning coach), Alveena Awan (team doctor), Tehreem Sumbal (physiotherapist) and Kiran Shahzadi (masseuse).

Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon on Saturday said that the provincial government had exempted shops, markets, malls, hotels, restaurants, wedding halls and marquees from fixed closing timings to “facilitate businesses and citizens”.

According to the notification, which he shared on the social media platform X, all shops, markets, shopping malls, hotels, restaurants, food outlets, marriage halls, and marquees have been exempted from the 9pm closing time, which was enforced last month.

“This decision reflects our commitment to economic growth, public convenience, and support for the business community, which remains the backbone of our economy,” Memon said.

KP lifts market timing restrictions

In a notification issued by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Secretary, the provincial government lifted restrictions on closure timings for markets, commercial and business centres with immediate effect.

The notification, available with Dawn, follows a prior public notice regarding temporary electricity conservation and commercial closure measures across the province.

“However, all citizens, commercial establishments, markets, plazas, marriage halls, restaurants, industries and public sector offices are requested to continue observing electricity conservation measures, particularly the avoidance of unnecessary and decorative lighting, prudent use of air-conditioning, and other non-essential electricity consumption in the larger public interest,” it read.

Last month, the Sindh government had notified that all shops, markets, and shopping malls in Karachi and other divisional headquarters of the province will close at 9pm throughout the week, including Saturdays and Sundays, as part of austerity measures amid the Middle East conflict, which has triggered a global oil crisis.

On April 6, the federal government announced that all markets across the country, barring Sindh, would close by 8pm throughout the week as part of energy conservation measures amid a global fuel crisis triggered by the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Saturday’s development also comes a day after the Punjab government has granted partial relief and lifted the restriction on market timings until June 1. The decision was in response to traders’ protests and appeals by the shopping malls association and general public to revise 8pm business closure timings.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday met a delegation from Egypt during which the two sides discussed promoting cooperation in the fields of security, counter-terrorism, combatting narcotics, cybercrime, and safe city initiatives, the interior ministry said.

Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation between the interior ministries of the two countries, it said in a social media post on X.

The delegation from Egypt’s interior ministry was led by Major General Magdy Helal and included Brigadier Essam Abu Al-Khair, Brigadier Engineer Mohamed Rady and Brigadier Dr Mohamed Mounir.

The ministry said it was decided that cooperation would be enhanced between the National Police Academy and Egypt’s police academy for joint training of officers.

“The visit of the Egyptian delegation will help explore new avenues of bilateral cooperation,” Naqvi was quoted as saying.

He further said that practical steps would be taken to further strengthen the relations between the two countries, while a Pakistani delegation will visit Egypt soon to explore new opportunities for cooperation in the areas of mutual interest.

“Enhanced cooperation between the interior ministries of the two countries will strengthen bilateral relations,” the ministry quoted Naqvi.

State Minister for Interior Tallal Chaudhry, who also attended the meeting, said that vast opportunities for cooperation prevailed between the two countries in the fields of counter-terrorism, combating narcotics, and internal security.

According to the ministry, the Egyptian delegation said that their visits to various institutions, including the Anti-Narcotics Force and the National Police Academy, proved immensely beneficial.

Further, the delegation said the two countries could benefit from each other’s experiences in various fields.

Last month, the two countries conducted two-week long joint exercise, “Pakistan-Egypt Joint Exercise Thunder-II”, focused on counter-terrorism.