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Pakistan to host it's first Women's Cricket Tournament - World Cup Qualifiers

Pakistan Women vs Thailand Women, 12th Match:

Pakistan Women have won the toss and have opted to bat
 
Pakistan confirmed their place at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 with an 87-run victory over Thailand at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Thursday

Sidra Amin and Fatima Sana shone with the bat as the hosts made it four wins from four in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 Qualifier.

In the other match of the day at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground, West Indies kept their hopes of qualifying alive with a three-wicket victory over Bangladesh, as Aaliyah Alleyne returned career-best figures with the ball before batter Chinelle Henry guided their side home with the bat in hand.

Sidra and Fatima guide Pakistan through

Pakistan opted to bat first but made a stuttering start, losing openers Shawaal Zulfiqar and Muneeba Ali to slip to 32 for two.

Aliya Riaz was then run out for seven as Pakistan stumbled to 47 for three but Sidra Amin anchored the innings with an impressive 80, forming a strong 97-run, five-wicket partnership with captain Fatima Sana, who came to the crease after Sidra Nawaz was run out for 11.

Fatima was unbeaten on 62 off just 59 balls and her busy knock pulled her side over the 200 mark as Pakistan set Thailand 206 to win.

Chanida Sutthiruang fell early in Thailand’s chase when the opener was stumped for five off Sadia Iqbal.

Nattaya Boochatham and Nannapat Koncharoenkai sought to rebuild but a steady fall of wickets consistently hampered their run chase.

Boochatham was caught behind for 16 off Fatima and Koncharoenkai was bowled two balls later by Rameen Shamim, departing for 19.

That left Thailand on 44 for three at the start of the 11th over, with the Pakistan attack continued to chip away.

Rameen struck again, bowling captain Naruemol Chaiwai out for 12 before Nashra Sandhu took the wickets of Natthakan Chantham (13) and Phannita Maya (9) to reduce Thailand to 81 for six in the 24th .

Fatima then bowled both Thipatcha Putthawong (10) and Suwanan Khiaoto (15) before Nashra and Rameen both picked up their third wickets of the match to bowl Thailand out for 118 and seal Pakistan’s place at the main event.

West Indies inflict first defeat on Bangladesh

After winning the toss and electing to bat first, Bangladesh’s Fargana Hoque and Sharmin Akhter combined for a 118-run partnership for the second wicket to help their side reach 131 for one before Aaliyah Alleyne struck twice in an over.

The medium pacer had Fargana caught and bowled for 42 before she breached Sharmin’s defences two balls later to see the end of the batter on 67.

It proved a crucial breakthrough as Bangladesh struggled to get their innings back up and running, and Alleyne struck again to bowl in-form captain Nigar Sultana out for five.

Afy Fletcher joined in with the quick dismissals of Ritu Moni (15) and Shorna Akter (6) to reduce Bangladesh to 165 for six in the 37th over.

Nahida Akter and Rabeya Khan made valuable cameos of 25 and 23 respectively to see Bangladesh through to 227 for nine despite Hayley Matthews also chipping in with two late wickets.

In response, West Indies’ new opening partnership of Qiana Joseph and Zaida James share 26 runs before the latter was bowled out by Jannatul for nine in the sixth over.

Shemaine Campbelle picked up the mantle and combined with Joseph before the latter was dismissed for 31 by Rabeya.

Campbelle was then trapped leg before by Fahima, leaving West Indies 74 for three in the 17th over, but the experienced partnership of Stafanie Taylor and Hayley Matthews were able to rebuild.

The pair put on 63 runs together before Marufa Akter claimed the wicket of Matthews for 33.

Marufa dismissed Taylor on 36 just seven runs later but Henry’s unbeaten 51 from 48 balls powered her side to victory with four overs to spare.

Scores in brief:

Bangladesh v West Indies – Lahore City Cricket Association Ground, Lahore

Bangladesh 227/9 in 50 overs (Sharmin Akhter 67, Fargana Hoque 42; Aaliyah Alleyne 4/39, Hayley Matthews 2/42)
West Indies 228/7 in 46 overs (Chinelle Henry 51, Stafanie Taylor 36; Marufa Akter 2/38, Ritu Moni 1/14)

Result: West Indies win by three wickets

Pakistan v Thailand – Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

Pakistan 205/6 in 50 overs (Sidra Amin 80, Fatima Sana 62; Thipatcha Putthawong 2/37, Phannita Maya 1/19)
Thailand 118 in 34.4 overs (Nannapat Koncharoenkai 19, Nattaya Boochatham 16; Rameen Shamim 3/18, Nashra Sandhu 3/19)
Result: Pakistan win by 87 runs
 
Our women team has really done well. Massive Massive Achievement.

It just shows that our women team isnt that bad. The fact that these women can beat Ireland, Scotland and West Indies is a massive massive achievement. Women in these countries play sports from early ages and have access to better resources.

In Pakistan, women cricket doesnt get that much support, alot of them have to pull out.

I will be watching their international games during the world cup. I hope PCB or ICC broadcasted this online.
 
The women's team is so rubbish, they have to play qualifiers. LOL

Just ruining the pitches in Lahore for the PSL!

Terrible from naqvi
 
Big achievement this for the women team. I never thought that they would win 4 out of 4 Games and 1 of them was actually west indies and they are not that bad tbh.

But anyways, congrats
 
Really wish they were broadcast. Anyway, Australia is gonna win the world cup again.
 
It's easy to denigrate the women's team and downplay their achievements. But the simple fact is: women in Pakistan do not have the same rights, opportunities, or societal acceptance as those in countries like Australia, England, New Zealand, or even India. Social and cultural norms still discourage girls from playing sports—and in more conservative areas, it's outright frowned upon. The very fact that these women have made it this far is, in itself, a big achievement.

The PCB has done little to support them. There’s no real grassroots structure for women’s cricket. They only just organized the first-ever talent hunt. These players earn peanuts, often train alone, and yet they're expected to perform at the same level as the men’s team—who enjoy every possible resource, infrastructure, and public support.

Despite all this, we’ve still managed to produce players like Bismah Maroof, Sana Mir, Kiran Baluch, Diana Baig (who’s also represented Pakistan in international football!), and now a future star in Fatima Sana. That’s something to be proud of.

Instead of tearing them down or holding them to the same standards as the men’s team, we should cut them some slack—and support them. No, they're not a world-beating side yet, but they’re trying to improve every single day, despite the countless hurdles in front of them.
 
Pakistan Women vs Bangladesh Women, 14th Match:

Bangladesh Women won the toss and elected to bat first
 
Your brother from Bharat is rooting for you both Pakistani and Bangladeshi sisters. May the best team wins.
 
Fatima Sana is too good to be a Pakistani Women cricketer. She is a Brilliant All-round player TBH
 
Thai ladies doing well against WIW ... 113/6 in 33 - thought they would struggle to get 120 !
 
Been nothing short of a dream run for Pakistan in this tournament. 5/5 wins.

I have never seen Pak do consistently well in a multi team tournament before. No corner tiger speeches, no scratching & fumbling NRR sheets, no "if this team wins from that team, and that team loses to that team, & this team then loses to us by 200 runs, then we definitely qualify" scenarios.

Not sure I can get used to this.
 
I have never seen Pak do consistently well in a multi team tournament before. No corner tiger speeches, no scratching & fumbling NRR sheets, no "if this team wins from that team, and that team loses to that team, & this team then loses to us by 200 runs, then we definitely qualify" scenarios.

Not sure I can get used to this.

Also, even though West Indies chase 160+ target in 10 overs, they are still out by the barest of margins. Pak in the end did Bangladesh a favor by completing the run chase when they did. They could have easily ended a couple of overs earlier but didn't and that made WI miss out on the qualification.
 
I have never seen Pak do consistently well in a multi team tournament before. No corner tiger speeches, no scratching & fumbling NRR sheets, no "if this team wins from that team, and that team loses to that team, & this team then loses to us by 200 runs, then we definitely qualify" scenarios.

Not sure I can get used to this.
Probably shouldn't. Because the top teams are still in a league of their own. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't enjoy this. It's just a shame though that this wasn't broadcasted on TV. The coverage on ICC TV was fairly substandard. Imagine if girls all over the country got to see these matches live? Could have encouraged stadium attendances too. Despite everything ICC says they don't seem interested in really take women's cricket forward.
 
Also, even though West Indies chase 160+ target in 10 overs, they are still out by the barest of margins. Pak in the end did Bangladesh a favor by completing the run chase when they did. They could have easily ended a couple of overs earlier but didn't and that made WI miss out on the qualification.
West Indies have only themselves to blame for losing to Scotland. Despite having a better team on-paper than Pakistan and Bangladesh and some bonafide stars like Hayley Matthews and Stephanie Taylor they have badly underperformed.
 
Fatima Sana captains ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 Qualifier Team of the Tournament

Four players from Pakistan’s unbeaten side have been named in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 Qualifier Team of the Tournament.

Muneeba Ali, Fatima Sana, Nashra Sandhu and Sadia Iqbal are each selected, with Fatima named as captain.

They are joined by three players from the West Indies and two apiece from Bangladesh and Scotland in the line-up selected by a panel consisting of event commentators Andrew Leonard, Marina Iqbal, Kainat Imtiaz and Joel Manning.

Muneeba, who scored 223 runs including half-centuries against Scotland and Bangladesh, is picked as one of the openers alongside Hayley Matthews, who enjoyed a strong tournament with bat and ball.

Matthews made an unbeaten century in a losing cause in the West Indies’ opening match against Scotland and finished by scoring the second fastest half-century in women’s ODI history against Thailand, reaching the landmark in 21 deliveries on her way to a 29-ball 70.

The 27-year-old also topped the wicket-taking charts with 13 scalps, including four-wicket hauls against Scotland and Ireland.

Bangladesh’s Sharmin Akhter is picked at three after a consistent tournament which saw her score half-centuries against Thailand (94 not out), Scotland (57) and the West Indies (67), finishing with 266 runs at 66.50.

She is followed by the competition’s leading run-scorer and Player of the Tournament, Kathryn Bryce, who backed up scores of 91 against Pakistan and 60 against Thailand with a majestic 131 not out against Ireland, her first ODI century. She also took six wickets across the Qualifier.

Nigar Sultana takes the gloves after playing an integral role in the three victories which ultimately secured Bangladesh’s progress to the Women’s Cricket World Cup, notching consecutive scores of 101, 51 and 83 not out.

She is followed by the skipper, Fatima, who shone with bat and ball as Pakistan won all five of their matches to top the table and secure their own place at the main event later this year. She scored 106 runs – including an unbeaten 62 against Thailand – and took 12 wickets at 12.25, while going at fewer than four runs an over.

The West Indies duo Chinelle Henry and Aaliyah Alleyne are included in the lower middle order. Henry made 46 not out against Ireland and 51 not out against Bangladesh before blasting five sixes in a remarkable 17-ball 48 in their win over Thailand.

Alleyne took 12 wickets, including four for 39 against Bangladesh, two clear of Katherine Fraser and Nashra Sandhu, who are also selected.

Scotland star Fraser, took three-wicket hauls against both the West Indies and Thailand, also chipping in with valuable runs, while Nashra took wickets in every match, including three apiece against Ireland and Thailand.

Sadia Iqbal rounds out the team after taking nine wickets at 16.22 and going at just 3.84 runs an over, providing a consistent performer for the hosts.

Rabeya Khan, who took three wickets in Bangladesh’s pivotal win over Ireland and six overall, is named as 12th player.

ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 Qualifier – Team of the Tournament

Hayley Matthews (West Indies)
Muneeba Ali (Pakistan)
Sharmin Akhter (Bangladesh)
Kathryn Bryce (Scotland)
Nigar Sultana (Bangladesh) WK+
Fatima Sana (Pakistan) CAPT*
Chinelle Henry (West Indies)
Aaliyah Alleyne (West Indies)
Katherine Fraser (Scotland)
Nashra Sandhu (Pakistan)
Sadia Iqbal (Pakistan)
12th Player: Rabeya Khan (Bangladesh)
 
I don't follow women's cricket too much but remember WIndies winning the tournament the same year that Braithwaite hit the sixes in the men's final. I guess it's a big upset they didn't qualify?
 
I don't follow women's cricket too much but remember WIndies winning the tournament the same year that Braithwaite hit the sixes in the men's final. I guess it's a big upset they didn't qualify?
It's t20.in odis normally they are poor.only sena teams and up to some extent India are good in odis .rest are crap.
 
I don't follow women's cricket too much but remember WIndies winning the tournament the same year that Braithwaite hit the sixes in the men's final. I guess it's a big upset they didn't qualify?

Yes. Them not making it to World Cup is an upset.

They are a solid mid-tier team in women's cricket.
 
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