Pakistan stars gear up for World Cup challenge after Qualifier success
Pakistan made it to the global mega-event, along with second-placed Bangladesh, on the back of a brilliant run in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2025. The tournament hosts (ranked ninth in ODI team rankings) secured wins in all five of their fixtures, including against higher-ranked teams like West Indies (sixth) and Bangladesh (eighth).
Pakistan veteran Aliya Riaz interviewed senior player Sidra Amin and upcoming star Shawaal Zulfiqar on the PCB podcast recently, where the trio discussed their qualification and how they were looking forward to the World Cup later in the year.
'Appearing in the World Cup is quite a challenge,' Shawaal Zulfiqar said when asked about how she was looking to prepare for the event. 'Big teams appear in it. We've done camps, and we'll continue doing them. So we'll grow and it will be beneficial to us.
'We are hopeful of doing well.'
Pakistan players look back at their successful campaign | WCWCQ 2025
The Pakistan players celebrate and reminisce a successful qualification campaign to the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 later this year.
Senior batter Sidra, who was Pakistan's highest run-getter in the Qualifier with 225 runs, including three fifties, too stressed the importance of preparation and adaptability.
'We'll plan it series by series. The bigger an event, greater the pressure, so we'll work on things we can control," she said.
'We are practising well, we'll bring an improvement on that. We have to adapt ourselves to the kind of wickets we have.
'We expect the games to be in Asian conditions, so we'll have to plan our shots, rotation of strike accordingly.'
Fatima Sana removes Hayley Matthews | WCWCQ 2025
Fatima Sana claims the crucial wicket of Hayley Matthews in the Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2025.
Sidra's success was notable as she came in at No. 3 instead of her usual opening position and credited her coaches for her recent form.
'I always want to go for my shots, but my coaches and those who know my capability well stop me. They say that if I just stay at the crease, that would be good enough for the side. So I credit my coaches and support staff for my success.'
Youngster Shawaal had great praise for skipper Fatima Sana's leadership style. Fatima took over Pakistan's T20I captaincy ahead of the Women's T20 World Cup late last year and also led the side during the Qualifier.
"She supports us a lot," Shawaal added. "If you perform, she appreciates you. But even if you don't, she'll tell you that you're a good player who will do well. She supports us on the field also. It feels very good, we try to listen to her and apply it to our game.
"Because she is in our age group, we easily understand her point.
Pakistan join hosts India, Australia, Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka at the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup slated to be held in October and November later this year. ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, 2025 News Women's News Pakistan Women
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