Pakistanis are rejoicing after a week of back-to-back wins for the country and while everyone has their eyes on Islamabad, our women’s football team have pulled off a miracle halfway across the world.

At the FIFA Series tournament in the Ivory Coast, the girls in green made history by pummelling their opponents from the Turks and Caicos and securing a massive eight-to-none victory.

Congratulations began to pour in from proud fans, including President Asif Ali Zardari, who called the win a “moment of national pride”. Others had similar messages of support for the team.

A user shared footage of the game’s fourth goal, where Mariam Mahmood kisses the team’s emblem on her shirt after powering the ball right into the opposing team’s net.

Another couldn’t believe the final score, posting it in all caps for the world to see.

The team’s technical ability and prowess on the field was praised.

Some netizens felt they could give a challenge to Pakistan’s male athletes. Others felt the men’s football squad could even learn a thing or two from the victors.

One fan was upset our team wouldn’t be playing in the South Asian Football Federation’s Women’s Championship this year when the side is the strongest it’s ever been. The tournament will be held in India and Indian sources report Pakistan has opted to skip due to strained ties — particularly in sports — with its eastern neighbour.

Pakistan are due to play Mauritania in their next game on Sunday followed by a bout with hosts the Ivory Coast on Thursday. We’ll be keeping an eye on their progress. Go girls!

KARACHI: Captain Saud Shakeel and Rilee Rossouw’s measured yet momentum-shifting partnership laid the foundation for Quetta Gladiators’ second victory of the HBL Pakistan Super League season as they defeated Rawalpindiz by 61 runs here at the National Bank Stadium on Friday night.

While Gladiators improved to two wins, Rawal­pindiz remained winless, their batting once again collapsing under pressure on a slowish surface.

Opting to bat first, Gladiators recovered from an early jolt and posted a competitive 182 for 6. The chase never truly ignited for Rawalpindiz, who were bundled out for 121 in 17.3 overs, their top order failing to fire and middle order unable to build any sustained resistance.

Sam Harper and Saud opened the innings for the Gladiators against a changed Rawalpindiz attack that included debutant Ben Sears.

Asif Afridi and New Zealand pacer Sears shared the new ball, and powerplay yielded 43 runs, though not without drama.

Harper looked aggressive, slapping a boundary over covers off Sears, but fell in the fourth over when a slower ball crashed into the top of leg stump for eight. Rossouw walked in at number and immediately brought fluency to the innings.

What followed was an 87-run second-wicket stand between Saud and Rossouw that defined Gladiators’ innings.

Saud played with characteristic patience, rotating the strike and picking singles while occasionally finding the boundary with well-timed sweeps and cuts.

Rossouw, returning to form, displayed his class with elegant drives through mid-off and powerful cuts and pulls.

The pair slowly rebuilt after the early wicket, taking the score to 70 for one in 10 overs despite tight bowling from Rawalpindiz spinners Mubasir Khan and Saad Masood, who kept the boundaries in check during the middle overs.

The acceleration came after the strategic timeout. Rossouw brought up his fifty in style with a boundary off Daryl Mitchell and then launched a massive six over deep mid-wicket.

Just as the partnership threatened to take the game away, Rossouw fell for 53 off 42 balls, holing out to long-on off Mubasir. Saud followed soon after for a gritty 42 off 39, chopping a slower delivery from Sears onto his stumps.

Entered Hasan Nawaz at number four. The middle-order batter announced his arrival with consecutive sixes off Mubasir — one over wide long-on and another straight over long-off — injecting much-needed aggression into Gladiators’ innings.

Hasan’s whirlwind 39 off just 16 balls, which was studded with five sixes, turned the innings around in the death overs. His fearless hitting, combined with useful contributions from the lower order, pushed Gladiators past 150 and eventually to 182.

Jahandad Khan provided the final flourish, smashing an unbeaten 21 off six, including two sixes and two fours.

Khawaja Nafay and Bevon Jacobs fell in quick succession, but the damage had already been done.

Chasing 183, the Rawalpindiz innings began disastrously.

Jahandad struck with the very first ball, inducing an edge from Mohammad Rizwan that was smartly taken by Rossouw at slip — a golden duck for the Rawalpindiz skipper.

Usman Khawaja and Yasir Khan tried to steady the ship, but Khawaja was run out for seven in a moment of confusion.

Yasir Khan played some aggressive shots, including a six and three boundaries, but fell for 22 when Abrar Ahmed induced a top-edge to deep mid-wicket.

Mitchell anchored the middle order with a patient 30 off 32, but the required rate kept climbing. Abdullah Fazal added 20 before being caught at backward point off Usman Tariq.

From there, the collapse was swift and complete. Sam Billings lasted only two balls, Saad Masood’s entertaining 31 off 19 — featuring three sixes — came too late, and the lower order offered little resistance.

Gladiators bowlers shared the spoils effectively. Jahandad finished with two for eight, including the vital early breakthrough and the dismissal of Saad.

Usman claimed two wickets, while Saud, bowling his lone over, produced a magical spell, taking two wickets including a stunning catch to remove Mitchell.

The Gladiators will take plenty of confidence from this comprehensive performance, particularly the contributions of Saud, Rossouw and the explosive Hasan, while Rawalpindiz must regroup quickly if they are to turn their fortunes around in the league stage.

Scoreboard

QUETTA GLADIATORS:

Saud Shakeel b Sears 42

Sam Harper b Sears 8

Rilee Rossouw c Billings b Mubasir 53

Hasan Nawaz c Yasir b Sears 39

Khawaja Nafay c Khawaja b Amir 6

Bevon Jacobs lbw b Amir 3

Jahandad Khan not out 21

Kashif Bhatti not out 1

EXTRAS (B-6, LB-2, W-1) 9

TOTAL (for six wickets, 20 overs) 182

DID NOT BAT: Usman Tariq, Abrar Ahmed, Khalil Ahmed

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-22 (Harper), 2-109 (Rossouw), 3-123 (Saud), 4-138 (Nafay), 5-156 (Jacobs), 6-170 (Hasan)

BOWLING: Asif 2-0-21-0, Sears 4-0-41-3 (1w), Amir 4-0-31-2, Mubasir 4-0-38-1 (1nb), Saad 4-0-24-0, Mitchell 2-0-19-0

RAWALPINDIZ:

Mohammad Rizwan c Rossouw b Jahandad 0

Usman Khawaja run out 7

Yasir Khan c Nafay b Abrar 22

Daryl Mitchell c&b Saud 30

Abdullah Fazal c Khalil b Usman 20

Sam Billings c Khalil b Kashif 1

Saad Masood c Abrar b Jahandad 31

Asif Afridi c Nafay b Saud 0

Mubasir Khan c Jahandad b Usman 6

Ben Sears not out 1

Mohammad Amir run out 0

EXTRAS (LB-1, NB-1, W-1) 3

TOTAL (all out, 17.3 overs) 121

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-0 (Rizwan), 2-27 (Khawaja), 3-45 (Yasir), 4-77 (Abdullah), 5-82 (Billings), 6-82 (Mitchell), 7-82 (Asif), 8-104 (Mubasir), 9-120 (Saad)

BOWLING: Jahandad 2.3-0-8-2 (1nb), Khalil 3-0-25-0, Abrar 3-0-24-1, Kashif 4-0-36-1, Usman 4-0-23-2 (1w), Saud 1-0-4-2

RESULT: Quetta Gladiators won by 61 runs.

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Rilee Rossouw

Published in Dawn, April 11th, 2026

ABIDJAN: Pakistan’s record-breaking 8-0 victory over the Turks and Caicos Islands in their FIFA Series opener on Thursday has sent confidence soaring through the squad, said newly-crowned all-time leading goalscorer Nadia Khan, as head coach Adeel Rizki warned against complacency ahead of their next fixture against Mauritania.

Pakistan made a sizzling start to their campaign at the Stade Alassane Ouattara, with Zahmena Malik opening the scoring in the 10th minute.

Aqsa Mushtaq doubled the lead just two minutes later before Layla Banaras made it 3-0 with a weaving run and smart finish past the half-hour mark.

Mariam Mahmood expe­rtly volleyed in a cross at the back post in the 38th minute to send Pakistan into the bre­ak with a four-goal cushion.

The second half brought more of the same. Nadia planted a perfect header from a left-wing cross in the 56th minute, which made her the record goal scorer.

Aqsa scored a pearler in the 76th, Banaras netted her second with a perfectly pla­ced shot from outside the box and Isra Khan completed the scoring in the 81st minute.

The victory surpassed Pakistan’s previous best of 7-0 against the Maldives in September 2022 and marked a historic start to the team’s first-ever FIFA event.

The 25-year-old Nadia described the achievement as overwhelming in a video message released by the Pakistan Football Federation.

“It’s an amazing feeling initially, I don’t think it sunk in until after the match,” Nadia who plays for English outfit Blackburn Rovers, said. “It was just an overwhelming feeling and it is so amazing to do it with the national team. I am proud of myself and the overall performance.”

“It boosts our confidence so much, the scoreline meant so much to us,” the forward added. “This scoreline is something else.”

She said the atmosphere following the final whistle was electric, with the team bus turning into a celebration of their hard work.

“The team bus was an experience in itself,” she said. “We were whistling and laughing, enjoying ourselves and the moment we worked so hard for. It was amazing, I want to be in that moment again. They need that again.”

Looking ahead to Pakis­t­an’s next match against Mau­r­itania on Sunday, Nadia said the team was working tirelessly and eager to take the pitch.

“We are looking forward to the game. We are ready. I can’t wait for it,” she said.

Head coach Adeel acknow­l­edged that the victory had lifted the mood around the camp but stressed the importance of staying grounded.

“After such victories your next few days become better,” Adeel said. “Your confidence is boosted, so everything is going in the right direction.”

However, he cautioned that the team must translate that energy into their remai­ning fixtures and avoid getting ahead of themselves.

“We cannot take our opponents lightly,” the head coach emphasised. “They already played one game and also watched our performance so they will be prepared.”

The coach singled out the performance of his midfielders as a particular source of satisfaction, noting that their display reflected hours of work on the training ground.

“That was something we worked on a lot,” Adeel revealed. “So during the match it was very evident that the training proved to be fruitful.”

Published in Dawn, April 11th, 2026