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Int'l Cricket Council
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Int'l Cricket Council
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
Int'l Cricket Council
20-04-2025
- Sport
- Int'l Cricket Council
'We let ourselves down' – Matthews reacts to Windies WCWC Qualifier heartbreak
West Indies endured a heartbreak in their final match of the ICC Women's World Cup Qualifiers, chasing down 167 against Thailand in 11 overs, falling short by just a 0.01 difference of the Net Run Rate to Bangladesh, who qualified for the marquee tournament alongside Pakistan. A couple of early losses in the tournament left West Indies in a tough spot heading into their final game — a chance they ultimately couldn't capitalise on. ALSO READ - Pakistan finish unbeaten, Bangladesh qualify after West Indies' narrow miss "We feel like we definitely let ourselves down, probably earlier on in the tournament, and yeah, I guess we're just paying the price for that now," skipper Hayley Matthews told reporters afterwards. "At the same time, it was really good to see the fight shown by the team in the last match against Bangladesh — the way the girls were able to get up, fight with the ball, and then knock off the runs. The fight today was obviously incredible, but yeah, probably just a lack of consistency killed us this tournament." West Indies miss out by the barest of margins | WCWCQ 2025 Heartbreak for West Indies as they miss out on a spot in the ICC Women's World Cup 2025 by the narrowest of margins. West Indies needed to chase down a target of 167 in 10.1 overs in order to secure qualification for the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 in India. They could extend the chase to 11 overs if they levelled the scores at 166 and then sealed the win with a six. "We knew the scenarios were always going to be tough today, especially batting second, but the team was up for the fight. It really showed a lot of courage, bravery, and that never-say-die attitude within the group," Matthews added. "It's something we can definitely take forward, it shows the potential we have and what we're capable of. We just need to be able to do that more consistently." West Indies entered the tournament as one of the favourites to qualify, ranked sixth in the ICC Women's ODI Team Rankings. With several core players nearing the end of their careers, Matthews admitted it was difficult to predict what the team might look like by the time the next Cricket World Cup comes around. "Coming into this tournament as the number one seeded team, we had a lot of expectations — not just from the outside, but from ourselves as well. We all feel like the 50-over World Cup is the pinnacle of any tournament you want to be part of, and as a team ranked six or seven, it's quite disappointing not to make it. "Now with so many senior players like Stafanie Taylor, Shemaine Campbelle, and Afy Fletcher — who've given so many years to West Indies cricket — it's hard. "The next 50-over World Cup isn't until 2029, and we don't know what things will look like by then. So yeah, we're all really heartbroken and disappointed." WATCH: Matthews on the charge against Thailand | WCWCQ 2025 Matthews on the charge against Thailand | WCWCQ 2025 Hayley Matthews on the charge against Thailand in the final match of the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2025 Despite the disappointing finish to their campaign, the skipper praised the young brigade in the squad, believing their impact on the team will only grow. "Yeah, a hundred percent. We have so many girls showing a lot of promise. Aaliyah Alleyne, with her spell in the last match and this match, has put us in some really good positions." "Then Chinelle Henry with the bat has been a whirlwind over the past few months. It's really good to see players like that progressing, and yeah, it's only up from here for them." ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, 2025 Hayley Matthews 03/19/1998 West Indies vs Thailand - Match 15 - 4/19/2025 News
Int'l Cricket Council
18-04-2025
- Sport
- Int'l Cricket Council
Fatima backs Pakistan to stay unbeaten after Thailand win
Pakistan's dominant 87-run victory over Thailand secured their qualification for the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025, set to be held later this year in India. The team has remained unbeaten throughout the qualifiers, and with just one match left, skipper Fatima Sana is hopeful of finishing the tournament unbeaten. "We have qualified, and the main credit goes to our team — they supported me a lot and gave me the opportunity to captain this side," said Fatima Sana after the match. "Hopefully, we will try to win the final match as well and aim to remain unbeaten throughout the qualifiers, finishing at the top of the table." Pakistan into the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 after Thailand win | Match Highlights | WCWCQ 2025 All-round contributions led Pakistan to fourth-straight win. Pakistan had a slow start to their innings while batting first, but a resilient knock from Sidra Amin and solid lower-order hitting by Fatima Sana helped them post a total of 205/6. "Before the 40 overs, we were under a lot of pressure because the Thailand team bowled really well against our batting lineup," said Fatima Sana. "But after the 40th over, we started to see opportunities. I got a few chances to contribute with the bat, and Sidra Ameen played really well during that phase." Watch: Pakistan qualify for the Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 | WCWCQ 2025 Pakistan qualify for the Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 | WCWCQ 2025 What a moment for Pakistan as they make it to the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup in India. "The main thing is that she stayed at the crease and kept the innings going. "I know people might have thought the run rate was a bit slow, but she played sensibly when we were just trying to survive. The way she stayed on the ground and held the innings together was really important for us." The skipper then went onto lead from the front with the ball, joining forces with Nashra Sandhu and Rameen Shamim. The trio picked up three wickets each, sealing a convincing victory and securing qualification for the Qualifier hosts. With this win, Pakistan have secured victory in all four of their matches in the tournament. Pakistan will now face Bangladesh in their final match of the tournament on April 19 at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground, where the Nigar Sultana Joty-led side will be aiming to secure their own qualification to the marquee event in India later this year. ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, 2025 News Fatima Sana 11/08/2001
Int'l Cricket Council
16-04-2025
- Sport
- Int'l Cricket Council
World Cup Qualifier performers make ICC Rankings strides
Some of the game's leading players taking part in the ongoing ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2025 were big movers in the latest ODI rankings changes. West Indies star Hayley Matthews continues to make a press for the No.1 All-Rounder spot currently owned by Australia's Ash Gardner, making an unbeaten century and taking 10 wickets across her first three matches of the campaign in Pakistan. The efforts have moved her All-Rounder ranking to 432 points, well clear of England's Nat Sciver-Brunt (375) in fourth, with Marizanne Kapp (444) and Gardner (470) in the Barbadian's sights. ICC Women's ODI All-Rounder Rankings Hayley Matthews leads from the front | WCWCQ 2025 Also contributing with bat and ball at the Qualifier with aplomb is Ireland's Orla Prendergast, whose four wickets and contributions with the bat have led to an eight-spot jump to 14th (193). Prendergast claimed a wicket in all three of Ireland's first Qualifier matches, also contributing 37 and 41 against Pakistan and Bangladesh respectively. Orla Prendergast gets two early wickets | WCWCQ 2025 Orla Prendergast strikes twice early against Bangladesh at the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2025. Matthews efforts with ball in hand helped West Indies' skipper up two spots to equal-seventh in the Bowling Rankings (642) points alongside Australian leg-spinner Alana King, with Pakistan's Rabeya Khan (up seven to 23rd) and Pakistan captain Fatima Sana (up 15 to 32nd) also enjoying jumps. Prendergast's efforts meanwhile moved her into the top 50 for the first time in the bowlers. ICC Women's ODI Bowling Rankings 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. In the batting ranks, Matthews' work moved her closer to sixth-place Alyssa Healy, with the biggest mover Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty, who climbed 16 spots to 17th thanks to an electric start at the Qualifiier. A century (101) against Thailand and a knock of 51 against Ireland moves the Bangladeshi captain to a career high rating of 563, and above teammate Fargana Hoque Pinky (541). Class and power from Nigar Sultana Joty | WCWCQ 2025 Nigar Sultana Joty strikes a wonderful shot down the ground against Thailand in the Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2025. News Women's News Women's Rankings ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, 2025
Int'l Cricket Council
12-04-2025
- Sport
- Int'l Cricket Council
Sana takes confidence from upbeat start ahead of West Indies Qualifier clash
As the Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2025 approaches a decisive phase, Pakistan are riding high on confidence after an undefeated run in the tournament so far. Speaking after Pakistan's comprehensive win against Scotland, skipper Fatima Sana discussed the areas where her side will look to work on ahead of the all-important West Indies clash. 'We'll try to be calm and easy in [batting] partnerships because in situations like these teams tend to buckle down under pressure. We'll cope with it better and will keep working on it, as the future games will bring greater pressure and intensity,' she said. The hosts' in-form run in the tournament has seen them excel with the bat and ball. They beat Ireland in their first encounter by 38 runs and then defeated Scotland by six wickets. Perhaps the biggest positive out of these wins was that they were team results, with several squad members contributing. These included likes of Muneeba Ali and Aliya Riaz who excelled with the willow in the recent encounter, and Fatima who brought crucial breakthroughs at the LCCA in their win yesterday. Similarly, Diana Baig, Riaz, Nashra Sandu, and Sidra Amin starred in the first game against Ireland. ALSO WATCH: Pakistan vs Ireland | Match Highlights | WCWQ 2025 All-round brilliance gives Pakistan winning start | Match Highlights | WCWCQ 2025 Pakistan stumbled in the middle of the contest, but came back strong to overcome Ireland in their ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2025 opener. The skipper was pleased with her side's efforts, 'This is a good thing for the team, we'll get a boost. When you win the team gets more confidence and with the big matches coming, we'll try harder.' Pakistan v Scotland | Match Highlights | WCWQ 2025 Pakistan cruise past Scotland for second win in a row | Match Highlights | WCWCQ 2025 Skipper Fatima Sana and the batting duo of Muneeba Ali and Aliya Riaz star as Pakistan notch a six-wicket win over Scotland Despite carrying an injury, Sana delivered five overs and picked four important wickets. 'It was a tough situation due to injury, but I performed well, the team will get confidence along with myself. So I'm hoping for more good things to come,' Sana discussed her bowling performance towards the death overs. Pakistan face West Indies on Monday, April 14 in Lahore as they look to cement their place at the upcoming Women's Cricket World Cup in India later this year. ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, 2025 News Pakistan Women
