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Bangladesh produced a stunning turnaround to defeat Pakistan by 23 runs in their Women's T20 World Cup 2026 clash in Southampton, eliminating their opponents from the tournament with two group-stage matches still to play.

Pakistan, chasing a modest target of 124, looked comfortable at 49 for 0 in the eighth over. But Bangladesh's spinners flipped the game on its head, triggering a dramatic collapse of 8 for 35 over the next ten overs. Nahida Akter and Sanjida Akter Meghla, the latter brought into the side for this match, each claimed three wickets as Pakistan limped to 100 for 8.

Earlier, Bangladesh had also recovered from a shaky start. Captain Nigar Sultana (36 off 38) and Sobhana Mostary (22 off 19) steadied the innings after Pakistan's pace attack, led by Fatima Sana, reduced them to 13 for 3 inside five overs. But it was Shorna Akter's explosive unbeaten 39 off just 22 balls featuring five boundaries that propelled Bangladesh to 123 for 6, with 43 runs coming off the final four overs.

Pakistan's fielding, which had been heavily criticized earlier in the tournament, showed improvement with some sharp catches. However, their batting fell apart after the openers departed. Muneeba Ali top-scored with 25, but no one in the middle order stepped up. When captain Fatima Sana holed out in the 18th over, Bangladesh knew the game was theirs.

The victory lifts Bangladesh to third place in Group 1, above South Africa, though South Africa has a game in hand. Pakistan, meanwhile, remains fifth with only debutants Netherlands below them, and their tournament hopes are now over.