Wahab Riaz urges patience as Pakistan women adapt to a new playing style

Pakistan head coach Wahab Riaz has urged patience as his team continues to adapt to a new playing style under his leadership at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

Having taken charge only four months ago, the former Pakistan fast bowler is trying to instill a more aggressive and fearless approach in the side.

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Although Pakistan suffered a 64-run defeat to India in their tournament opener in Birmingham on Sunday, Wahab believes there were several encouraging signs despite the result.

Pakistan made positive starts with both bat and ball but failed to sustain the momentum, allowing India to take control of the contest.

“We only took charge of the team four months ago. You cannot make significant changes overnight to the way the team has been playing for years. Changing an established pattern takes time,” Wahab reflected after Pakistan’s 64-run loss to India.

“The good thing is that we are trying to compete according to modern international standards, where you need to score more runs in the Powerplay. You need to put up at least 170 runs to stay competitive, and we have to keep moving in that direction.

“The message is very clear: we need to play positive cricket. We need to play fearless cricket. But in a span of just four months, drastic changes cannot happen.

“However, the girls have been putting in a tremendous amount of effort, and we have seen glimpses of improvement in the bilateral series and matches we have played. There are positives, but we need to finish games better. That is where we are currently falling short. I believe we will overcome that and perform well in the matches ahead.”

Pakistan started brightly against India as Sadia Iqbal removed Shafali Verma in the opening over before Jemimah Rodrigues was dismissed soon after. With the bat, openers Muneeba Ali and Gull Feroza added 38 runs for the first wicket, but Pakistan failed to build on the platform as India’s superior depth proved decisive.

Pakistan will now look to bounce back when they face South Africa at Edgbaston on Wednesday, and Wahab remains confident that his side is progressing in the right direction.

“There are encouraging signs, and we will take confidence from them. We know cricket is often a game of nerves, and we are working hard on that aspect. The players have been giving their best. You win some and lose some; unfortunately, we were on the losing side today,” Wahab said.

“I think we are here to win. We just need to make fewer mistakes and believe in ourselves. We have to play more positive and fearless cricket. That’s what T20 cricket demands. There are no favourites in this format. The team that plays better on the day and handles key phases well usually comes out on top,” he added.