Pakistan's White-Ball Woes Haunt Both Men's and Women's Teams
Similar batting deficiencies and struggles against spin have left both sides languishing in T20Is and ODIs.
Pakistan's men's and women's cricket teams are enduring a prolonged slump in white-ball formats, marked by sporadic brilliance but chronic inconsistency. The problems run deep, with both sides exhibiting identical frailties in batting approach and against spin bowling.
A lack of intent from batters is a glaring issue. In T20Is since 2024, the women's team has a strike rate of just 110.28 and takes nearly seven balls per boundary, among the worst in the top five. The men's side is little better, with a strike rate of 131.16—fourth worst among ten top teams—and a balls-per-boundary ratio of 5.96. Both struggle in the middle overs (7-16), where the women have the second-worst strike rate (101.24) and a dot-ball percentage of 44.05%, while the men rank fourth worst in strike rate (126.96) with 34.44% dot balls.
Their inability to attack spin is another common weakness. The women's team has the lowest strike rate against spin (95.94) and the worst average (14.50) among top sides since 2024. While the men's numbers are slightly better, they too falter against slower bowlers, with both teams failing to accelerate in the middle phase. These recurring patterns suggest that the crisis is systemic, requiring urgent overhaul in mindset and skill development.