Four Pakistani players feature in ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier team
Pak women's team players celebrate dismissal of another Scotland player in ICC Women's WC qualifier on Friday. PHOTO: PCB
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has included four Pakistani cricketers in its Women's World Cup Qualifier 2025 Team of the Tournament, with Fatima Sana leading the squad.
Sana, who captained Pakistan, excelled with both bat and ball, contributing significantly to her team's performance. Her standout effort came against Scotland, where she took 4/23 in a rain-affected match.
Sana also scored an unbeaten 62 against Thailand, showcasing leadership and composure under pressure.
Muneeba Ali, Pakistan's opening batter, made crucial contributions throughout the tournament. She played a vital role in Pakistan's chase of 187 against Scotland, scoring 71 runs and anchoring the innings.
Nashra Sandhu was one of the tournament's most consistent bowlers, claiming 10 wickets at an average of 15.60. Her key wickets, particularly against the West Indies, were pivotal to Pakistan's success.
Sadia Iqbal also impressed with the ball, taking nine wickets at an economy rate of under four runs per over. Her best performance came with figures of 3/28.
The Team of the Tournament also features players from West Indies, Scotland, and Bangladesh, including standout performers Hayley Matthews and Kathryn Bryce.
ICC Women's Team of the Tournament 2025
Hayley Matthews (West Indies), Muneeba Ali (Pakistan), Sharmin Akhter (Bangladesh), Kathryn Bryce (Scotland), Nigar Sultana (Bangladesh) (wk), Fatima Sana (Pakistan) (c), Chinelle Henry (West Indies), Aaliyah Alleyne (West Indies), Katherine Fraser (Scotland), Nashra Sandhu (Pakistan), Sadia Iqbal (Pakistan).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
4 hours ago
- Express Tribune
PSL11 likely to clash with IPL again
Like the 10th edition, the HBL Pakistan Super League season 11 is also likely to take place alongside the Indian Premier League in April-May next year. In that case, the home series against Zimbabwe will have to be rescheduled. Given the limited time, the proposal to hold the tournament this December seems highly difficult to implement. According to details, the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is traditionally held in February-March, but this year, due to the ICC Champions Trophy being hosted in Pakistan, the event was pushed to April and May, overlapping with the IPL schedule. Next year, the ICC T20 World Cup is scheduled for February-March, forcing Pakistan to find new dates for its league. A proposal was made to hold the PSL in December-January, but due to unresolved key issues, organizing it that early seems unlikely. During this window, the PCB may instead hold the domestic Pentangular Cup, involving top star cricketers. Earlier this year, it was announced that PSL would be made into a separate company, and Salman Naseer has started working as its CEO. However, no major appointments have been made in other departments yet. With 10 editions now completed, the valuation of the existing six franchise teams will be carried out, following which a 25% increase in franchise fees is expected. Last December, all teams had confirmed in writing their intent to retain ownership. However, Multan Sultans' owner, Ali Tareen, repeatedly voiced concerns about financial losses. He has been silent recently, so it remains unclear whether he will keep the team or go for rebidding. Notably, this team currently pays over one billion rupees annually in fees, making it the most expensive franchise. Similarly, the board had announced the inclusion of two new teams starting from the 11th edition, but no progress has been made on that front either. Sources revealed that the 10-year title sponsorship agreement also needs to be renewed. There will be separate contracts for ground sponsorship in 810 categories, and for both local and international broadcasting. A new deal for live streaming will also be required. Currently, PCB earns about PKR 900 million annually from the title sponsorship. Last year, live streaming rights for Pakistan were sold for approximately PKR 1.8 billion. Local broadcast rights generated around PKR 6.3 billion, while international rights brought in $4.6 million. Ground rights were sold for around PKR 2 billion for two years. For TV production, PCB signed a two-year deal worth $2.25 million annually. Tenders will be issued for all these agreements, followed by lengthy processes. If the current format continues With the inclusion of two new teams, the number of PSL matches will rise from 34 to 54. Consequently, the value of all associated deals is expected to increase by about 30%. However, it is yet to be decided whether the new teams will follow the current financial model or if a new approach will be adopted. Franchise sources confirmed that the board has not yet discussed new teams with them, let alone any financial models. The final dates for PSL 11 have not yet been confirmed, though holding the tournament in April-May next year seems likely. A joint email was sent by franchises requesting a meeting of the PSL Governing Council to discuss key matters of the league. A response is expected in coming days. It's worth noting that the Pakistan team has a home series against Sri Lanka in November, featuring three ODIs and three T20Is. December and January have been kept open for domestic events. In February, Australia is scheduled to visit for three T20Is, and the T20 World Cup will follow in February-March. In March, Australia will return for three ODIs, and at the end of March and in April, Pakistan is set to tour Bangladesh for two Tests, three ODIs, and three T20Is. Zimbabwe's team is scheduled to tour Pakistan in April-May for three ODIs and three T20Is. To hold the PSL during this window, the PCB will have to reschedule the Zimbabwe series. Sources added that franchises' concerns about scheduling clashes with the IPL have decreased after the 10th edition. However, broadcasters and rights holders still have differing views. Holding PSL alongside IPL in April-May next year is a possibility, but a final decision will be made later.
Express Tribune
4 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Gillespie takes a dig at PCB Chief Naqvi
Jason Gillespie resigned as the national team's Test coach just days before the South Africa Test series last year. Photo: AFP/File Former Pakistan red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie has once again taken a dig at Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi for absence from a crucial team-building session, known as the "Connection Camp." Speaking on The Howie Games podcast, Gillespie recounted the efforts made by himself and white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten to attend the campinitiated by Kirstenonly to find a noticeable lack of engagement from the top PCB official. "Gary came up with this great idea of a connection camp. Everyone in Pakistan cricket basically shared their experiences in that meeting. I flew in from Australia, Gary flew in from South Africa, the Chairman Mohsin Naqvi dialed in Zoom," said Gillespie. "He is based in Lahore, but he did not come, while Gary came in from Africa. We both felt that the Chairman could not even drive 20 minutes to come here - that was a bit unusual." he added. The Pakistan Cricket Board held the camp on September 23, 2024, with the aim of improving communication, collaboration, and performance among the national team. The session featured eight senior players, including Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shadab Khan, and Shan Masood. PCB Chief Operating Officer Salman Naseer had described the camp as a timely initiative ahead of a packed cricketing calendar, with its primary objective being the development of a unified vision and mission for the national team. It is pertinent to mention that the former Australian pacer resigned as the national team's Test coach just days before the South Africa Test series last year. Bowlers surge in rankings Pakistan bowlers have made significant gains in the latest ICC T20I rankings, thanks to their impressive performances in recent international fixtures. In the bowling rankings, Pakistan pacers Haris Rauf and Abbas Afridi have surged forward, both occupying the joint 18th position with 605 rating points. Left-arm speedster Shaheen Afridi has also moved up, now holding the 35th spot with 552 points. Pakistan's T20I vice-captain Shadab Khan climbed to 58th place in the rankings, alongside spinner Abrar Ahmed, both earning 476 points. However, young bowlers Naseem Shah and Sufiyan Muqeem have slipped in the standings, now placed at 92nd and 95th positions with 407 and 406 points, respectively. New Zealand's Jacob Duffy currently leads the T20I bowling charts, while England's Adil Rashid has claimed the second spot, pushing India's Varun Chakaravarthy down to third. In the T20I batting rankings, Pakistan's star duo Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have retained their 12th and 13th positions, respectively. Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris also holds firm at the 30th spot. However, emerging middle-order batter Hasan Nawaz has slipped to 46th place, while Saim Ayub has dropped to 62nd. Pakistan T20I captain (name omitted in original text) has fallen two spots to 76th with 430 rating points, and Fakhar Zaman has slipped one place to 87th. Australia's Travis Head continues to dominate the T20I batting rankings, followed by India's Abhishek Sharma in second. England's Phil Salt has dropped to fourth place, as young Indian batter Tilak Varma rises to third.
Express Tribune
4 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Pak, Afg and UAE to play T20I tri-series
The T20I series between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which is scheduled to be played in the United Arab Emirates, is now set to be turned into a trilateral series with the hosts making the third team. The Afghan side are scheduled to tour Pakistan in late summer for a bilateral T20I series in the current future tours programme cycle. However, with the prospect of this year's T20 Asia Cup in the UAE, an arrangement is being worked to move the series there and include the hosts as the third team, sources close to the matter stated. India are the hosts for this year's edition of the Asia Cup, but the tournament will be staged at a neutral venue after Pakistan and India agreed to host each other at neutral venues in multi-team tournaments because of geopolitical tensions. The month of September is locked as a tentative window for the tournament. Both, Pakistan and Afghanistan, haven't played each other on Pakistani soil. Though, Afghanistan played in Pakistan for the ICC Champion Trophy Pakistan and Afghanistan have never played each other on Pakistani soil. Ahead of the last iteration of the Asia Cup, which was played in the ODI format and was held across Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Afghanistan hosted Pakistan in Hambantota and Colombo for acclimatisation purposes ahead of the tournament in 2023. The last bilateral T20I series between the two teams was also played in the UAE in March 2023 and saw Afghanistan beat Pakistan across formats for the first time and also record their first series win. In what remains their last meeting, Afghanistan secured their maiden ODI win over Pakistan during the 50-over World Cup in 2023. Pakistan and UAE have never played each other outside a multi-team tournament. They first played each other in a six-team Austral-Asia Cup in 1994 and then came face to face in the 1996 and 2015 50-over World Cups. Their last meeting came in the 2016 Asia Cup in Bangladesh.
