WT20 World Cup 2026: What history did India-Pakistan match create?
What's the story
The recent India-Pakistan match at Edgbaston in Birmingham has set a new attendance record for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup. A whopping 18,814 fans attended the Group A match, which saw India win by a huge margin of 64 runs. According to Cricbuzz, this is the highest-ever attendance in a Women's T20 World Cup group-stage match. The previous record was also held by an India-Pakistan match.
India innings
India smash 170/6 against Pakistan
The match was a treat for fans, with India electing to bat on a tricky surface. The Women in Blue recovered from an early setback to post a strong total of 170/6. Smriti Mandhana led the charge with a brilliant 68 off 44 balls, while Richa Ghosh added a quickfire 34 off just 17 deliveries. This marked India's third-highest total in the tournament.
Bowling prowess
India's spin attack dominates Pakistan
Despite a promising start, Pakistan's batting unit crumbled against India's spin attack. They were 52/1 after six overs. Muneeba Ali was the only one to put up a fight with her 41 off 35 balls. However, the rest of the team fell like ninepins, getting bowled out for just 106 in 17 overs. Deepti Sharma starred with the ball, taking a career-best 5/10 in four overs and becoming the leading wicket-taker in WT20Is.
Information
History at Edgbaston
As mentioned, the encounter recorded the highest-ever attendance in the Women's T20 World Cup group stage. The previous highest was 13,935 during the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup India-Pakistan game in Dubai.