Latest news with #Women'sCricketWorldCup2025Qualifier
United News of India
27-05-2025
- Sport
- United News of India
Newly crowned No1 T20I bowler Sadia Iqbal credits Pakistan legend Sana Mir
Dubai, May 27 (UNI) Left-arm orthodox spinner Sadia Iqbal dethroned England's Sophie Ecclestone to take the top spot in the new ICC Women's Player Rankings. The Pakistan tweaker, who was one of the leading performers at last year's ICC Women's T20 World Cup, rose one position to reign supreme. Basking in the moment, the 29-year-old expressed delight and thanked those who have played a part in her journey. 'I've become the number one ranked T20I bowler, I'd like to thank everyone who is celebrating this achievement, I've received a lot of calls and messages,' Iqbal said in a Pakistan Cricket Board video. 'I'm glad that everyone is happy for me and appreciative of my achievement,' she said. The left-arm spinner lauded former Pakistan skipper Sana Mir for helping her through with her bowling, an ICC report said. 'She (Sana Mir) obviously had a lot of experience in women's cricket. The way she's served Pakistan cricket, she has been number one bowler during her days," Iqbal said. 'I used to keep talking to her while we were on tour regarding bowling different variations," she said. 'Even when we were at the World Cup, I had a really good conversation about bowling with her. She helped me a lot," Iqbal said. Iqbal played a pivotal role in Pakistan's flawless run at the recent ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 Qualifier, helping the team punch their ticket to the marquee event in India later this year. Snapping nine wickets in five matches, Iqbal's efforts guided Pakistan to an invincible campaign at home - one she hopes they can repeat come the Cricket World Cup. 'World Cup is the biggest event, we've secured our qualification recently. Our goal is to play the way we did in the Qualifier," she said. 'We'll look to pick from where we ended that tournament, and hope to finish the World Cup the same way," Iqbal added. On her personal goal moving forward, she added, 'For me, the team always comes first. And that helps me as well as the team. My goal is to help my team win the World Cup.' Pakistan Women secured their qualification spot for the eight-team tournament alongside Bangladesh via the Qualifier at home. They'll vie for the top prize against defending champions Australia, England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, South Africa and hosts India. UNI BM
Int'l Cricket Council
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Int'l Cricket Council
Shortlists revealed for ICC April Players of the Month
The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the shortlist of contenders in line to win the ICC Men's and Women's Player of the Month awards for April. The ICC Women's Player of the Month nominees comprise three leading all-rounders who played starring roles in last month's hotly contested ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 Qualifier in Pakistan. Fatima Sana was in inspired form during April, leading Pakistan to claim a World Cup spot with a string of memorable performances during an unbeaten week on home soil. Kathryn Bryce also enjoyed a stellar month leading Scotland, and ended as the competition's leading run-scorer. Hayley Matthews of the West Indies completes the shortlist, and will be aiming to win her fourth Player of the Month accolade with runs and wickets flowing during the month. The ICC Men's Player of the Month shortlist features standout performers in the Bangladesh-Zimbabwe Test series and an emerging New Zealand pacer. Bangladesh all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz made telling contributions at both ends of the crease in Bangladesh's tied Test series against Zimbabwe, earning his first nomination for ICC Men's Player of the Month. Likewise on the opposing side, Zimbabwe's Blessing Muzarabani enjoyed significant success with the ball in hand to earn his side a share of the spoils. New Zealand's Ben Sears becomes the third and final name on the shortlist after blistering spells in his side's 3-0 ODI sweep over Pakistan. An independent ICC Voting Academy* and fans around the world will now be invited to cast their votes to decide the winners, which will be announced next week. Fans are now able to vote for their favourite performers at ICC Women's Player of the Month Nominees for April: Kathryn Bryce (SCO) Scotland's talisman once again demonstrated outstanding form in an ICC qualifying event despite falling short of sealing a spot at this year's ICC Women's Cricket World Cup. Leading from the front, the 27-year-old skipper blasted 293 runs over her five games at an average of 73.25 which included notable knocks of 91 against hosts Pakistan, 60 against Thailand and a glittering 131 not out against Ireland. Beyond her batting prowess, Bryce also contributed with the ball, taking six wickets during the competition and was ultimately named the Player of the Series. Hayley Matthews (WI) A shining light for the West Indies in an otherwise disappointing campaign, Matthews began her Qualifier with a mesmerizing all-round display against Scotland in Lahore, taking four for 56 and striking an unbeaten 114 albeit in defeat. Her tournament-leading 13 wickets at 15.84 included spells of four for 24 against Ireland and two wickets apiece against Pakistan and Bangladesh, before the dramatic final matchup against Thailand, where Matthews' explosive 70 in 29 balls saw the islanders fall agonizingly short of snatching a World Cup spot on account of net run rate. Fatima Sana (PAK) The Pakistan captain enjoyed a fruitful Qualifier as leading wicket-taker for her side with 12 wickets in her five outings at an average of 12.25. After a modest start to her competition, Fatima came to life with four for 23 against Scotland and three wickets each against West Indies and Thailand. With the addition of 103 runs in the lower order, the 23-year-old made progress up the ODI Bowling and All-Rounder Rankings, and seeks to win her first Women's Player of the Month crown, and first for Pakistan since Sidra Ameen won in November 2022. ICC Men's Player of the Month Nominees for April: Mehidy Hasan Miraz (BAN) Nominated for the first time for the ICC Men's Player of the Month award and aiming to be the first Bangladesh player to win since Shakib al Hasan in March 2023, Mehidy enjoyed a prolific April with bat and ball, ending the two-Test encounter as the Player of the Series. Following his ten wickets in the opening defeat in Sylhet (five for 52 and five for 50), the spinner then hit 104 in Chattogram - his second Test century - before another five wicket-haul ensured the honours were shared. Blessing Muzarabani (ZIM) The pacer became just the second Zimbabwean to reach 700 rating points in the ICC Men's Test Bowling Rankings in April, reaching the landmark with a Player of the Match performance in the first Test victory over Bangladesh – Zimbabwe's first away Test win since 2021. After taking three wickets in the first innings and with a healthy lead of 82 heading into the second, Muzarabani conspired to rip through Bangladesh's top and middle order to claim six for 72 and set up a thrilling three-wicket victory in Sylhet. Ben Sears (NZ) Having made his ODI debut for New Zealand in February, Sears has already shown plenty of promise, and caps a fine spell in the format with his maiden nomination for Men's Player of the Month. Drafted in for the second of three matches against Pakistan, Sears starred alongside Jacob Duffy and Will O'Rourke to unleash a fearsome spell of fast bowling in Hamilton and take his first ODI five-wicket haul (five for 59). He then went back-to-back in Mount Maunganui, returning figures of five for 34 to claim the Player of the Series in a commanding 43-run victory and ensure the 3-0 sweep. The ICC Player of the Month Voting Process: The three nominees for either category are shortlisted based on performances from the first to the last day of each calendar month. The shortlist is then voted on by the independent ICC Voting Academy* and fans around the world. The ICC Voting Academy comprises prominent members of the cricket fraternity including well-known journalists, former players, broadcasters and members of the ICC Hall of Fame. The Voting Academy submit their votes by email and hold a 90 per cent share of the vote. Fans registered with the ICC can vote via the ICC website, accounting for the remaining 10 per cent. Winners are announced every second week of the month on ICC's digital channels. **Voting Academy for ICC Player of the Month: ** Afghanistan: Javed Hamim; Australia: Daniel Cherny and Lisa Sthalekar; Bangladesh: Mazhar Uddin and Md Ariful Islam Roney; England: Chris Stocks and Lydia Greenway; Ireland: Ger Siggins and Clare Shillington; India: S Gomesh and Shivani Gupta; New Zealand: Craig Cumming; Pakistan: Sawera Pasha and Sana Mir; South Africa: Zaahier Adams and Ashwell Prince; Sri Lanka: Danushka Aravinda and Farveez Maharoof; West Indies: Daren Ganga and Stacy Ann King; Zimbabwe: Lawrence Trusida; Others: Darren Allan Kyeyune and Kyle Coetzer.
Int'l Cricket Council
28-04-2025
- Business
- Int'l Cricket Council
Stability the key as Scotland eye more opportunity at international level
Despite narrowly missing out on qualification for this year's ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, it's been a prosperous time for Scotland's women, competing at a maiden ICC Women's T20 World Cup and claiming awards on and off the field in a nod to their hard work. Much of that recent hard work has been due to the ongoing output of new CEO Trudy Lindblade, who has held her position at the top of Cricket Scotland for more than 12 months now and continues to press on with many of the amazing initiatives that were put into place well before she commenced her role. WATCH: Scotland Women rising up in world cricket Scotland Women rising up in world cricket From the impressive ICC Women's Under-19 T20 World Cup campaign to a fiercely contested Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 Qualifier, Scotland Women are climbing up the ladder in international cricket. Lindblade has been around cricket for much of her adult life, having previously worked at Cricket Australia as an event manager earlier this century, before playing a major role in the successful running of the 2007 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean and the first ICC Men's T20 World Cup in South Africa later that same year. It's those years that helped Lindblade earn the top job with Scotland and the experienced administrator has wasted no time in bringing her wealth of knowledge to the burgeoning European organization, which has built the base for ongoing success both on and off the field at the highest level. One of Lindblade's first - and most important - tasks was to implement a new four-year strategic plan for Cricket Scotland that will attempt to grow the girls and women's game, develop community cricket, create a culture of equality and provide more support at elite performance level. Lindblade helped launch this strategic plan in August last year and delved into the challenges she experienced while working on the huge task when speaking with ICC Digital from her Edinburgh base recently. Despite of missing out on a spot at the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025, Scotland forged some impressive displays at the Qualifier in Pakistan. "Coming in and working for a governing body really shows you both the highs and sometimes the lows that you can experience in sport," Lindblade said. "The key for me was to make sure that we delivered our strategy. So we released our strategy in August last year and we are now focused on delivering the action plans that are coming out and delivering against those. It's a four-year strategy (and) it's been really rewarding because on the field we've had unprecedented success for an Associate member.' Lindblade paid tribute to the colleagues that helped her deliver the ambitious strategy and said the task was made much easier with everyone working together and on the same path. "People are the most important asset that you have in an organisation. And we are so fortunate, at Cricket Scotland, to have some of the most terrific people because they are very passionate about what they do," she noted. "If you've got passionate people who love what they do, who see the strategy, and see what we are trying to achieve at the collective, then you will get those outcomes that you are seeking. "But you also need some pragmatism in Associate member cricket, because we can't do everything we'd like to. "One of our biggest and best value assets is the ability to say no so that we can focus on those things that are going to achieve that success for us to either drive performance, drive revenue and drive success." WATCH: Scotland overcome Matthews' fight to stun West Indies | Match Highlights | WCWCQ 2025 Scotland overcome Matthews' fight to stun West Indies | Match Highlights | WCWCQ 2025 Hayley Matthews gave it all for the West Indies, but eventually Scotland took the game on the back of a brilliant bowling display in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2025. The recent success was not borne from nothing, with Cricket Scotland enjoying their fruits after years of toil to develop the women's game The organisation have shown great flexibility too - with one project - the Wee Bash - created when looking up at the rain belting down on Stirling, curtailing an ICC Qualifier. Rather than sit around and twiddling their thumbs, an indoor tournament was quickly derived and is now played by hundreds of people with a soft ball for all levels of cricketers across the country. Cricket Scotland's ongoing partnership with the Beyond Boundaries charity was also recognised at the ICC Development Awards last year, with the link-up, which started in 2017, boosting opportunities for female and disabled cricketers across the country as well as taking free sessions into disadvantaged areas. "Climate here in Scotland is one that we do sometimes have to be creative where rain is often a feature," Lindblade commenced when asked about the success of the Wee Bash. "But the ability to have indoor facilities and to be able to do, to be able to run different programs, and programs like Wee Bash we're really proud of, and it really does demonstrate that partnership approach with the charity like Beyond Boundaries, the commitment of that trust and of their leadership, is second to none. "And they regularly send us ideas, and how we can engage and how we can continue to grow the game in Scotland, and they are a home-grown Scottish cricket charity. And, that's something that we should celebrate. So we love working with all our partners. But to have a charity like Beyond Boundaries, which is truly Scottish is a terrific opportunity for us. "And they can help us grow the game. In those key groups." On the field, things have progressed at a rate of knots of late too as Scotland successfully qualified for their first Women's T20 World Cup in 2024 after a memorable victory over rival Ireland in an exciting semi-final of the Qualifier tournament in Abu Dhabi. While the team were unable to replicate that effort when they narrowly missed out on qualifying for this year's 50-over World Cup at the recent Qualifier tournament in Pakistan, they will be buoyed by the fact that two of their players won a spot in the ICC Team of the Tournament and skipper Kathryn Bryce was named Player of the Tournament after she finished as the leading run-scorer across the event. Bryce, who debuted for Scotland in 2011 as a 13-year-old in a Women's County Championship and has played a major role in the recent on field success, identified the recent stability off the field which has helped swell player participation at all levels. "I think one of the biggest changes I've seen since I started playing cricket was just the number of girls that are involved in the game in Scotland," Bryce noted. "So a lot of the junior festivals I went to, there was only, maybe four or five teams there, whereas when I went down more recently, there's kind of massive fields filled with, with up to almost 100 different teams and loads of different players, from across the country playing and getting involved with the sport." Scotland skipper Kathryn Bryce finished atop the run-scoring charts at the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 Qualifier in Pakistan. With Bryce nailed down as captain and one of the most consistent players in international cricket, Scotland have also received a recent boost with the long-term commitment of young coach Craig Wallace. Wallace, who took the full-time role as coach in August last year after leading the side to the T20 World Cup for the first time as interim coach, sees much potential with his side. "I think the standard of the women's game is just improving all the time,' Wallace said. 'We need to keep up with the full members in particular, and try to play a game that can challenge them and beat them.' If Scotland continue on their remarkable path, the higher honours and big wins will likely come in time.
Int'l Cricket Council
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Int'l Cricket Council
Test: Women's High Performance workshop shines a spotlight on the growth areas of the women's game
The International Cricket Council (ICC) hosted a Women's High Performance workshop in Lahore, which coincided with the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 Qualifier which took place in the same city. The forum was attended by High Performance Managers, heads of women's cricket, coaches and staff from Full and Associate Members of the ICC, including representatives from the teams participating in the Qualifier. The theme of the workshop was 'collaboration and competitiveness' with the aim to share knowledge, best practice and experience in various key areas of the women's game. The main focus areas were High Performance systems used by leading Members, strength and conditioning and the next ICC U19 Women's T20 World Cup which will be staged in Bangladesh and Nepal. The workshop was a platform where Members were given the opportunity to learn from other Members, with the ultimate aim of improving competitiveness at ICC women's events, thereby raising the profile and commercial appeal of those events. Ayesha Ashhar, General Manager of International Women's Cricket, Pakistan Cricket Board said: 'This workshop was a great initiative, it has been very educational to all the people who attended it. We've been given insight on how to put together our plans for programmes, be it batting, bowling, fitness on the field of play or administratively off the field. 'It's been very helpful and also a lot of fun to attend it with everyone, getting different points of view, listening to everyone and the challenges they are overcoming in their different regions and how they have gone about it. 'It's a great initiative by the ICC and I'm grateful to have been a part of this workshop.' Craig Wallace, Head Coach of Scotland women said: 'I thought it was brilliant to get everyone in one room and speak about the different things that they are working on and going through in their separate regions. 'It's challenging sometimes as Associates to come up with ideas, programmes, structures and other things to help overcome certain issues, but having so many others going through similar challenges gives everyone the opportunity to learn from one another.' Sheena Gooding, Team Manager of the West Indies women said: 'It's been a really good experience, the presentation by Cricket South Africa was really interesting. What stood out for me was that they travel with an educator for their U19s programme. I thought that was brilliant. It's really helpful because every time we look at fixtures for our U19 teams, the topic of players missing out on school always comes up and I think this is a brilliant solution to that particular challenge. 'Also, the Talent Acceleration Camps that they do is something simple that we could also look into replicating in our different regions. There was a presentation on 'best practices' which was also very interesting, seeing how many full member nations play both 50-over and T20 cricket for their U19 teams has given us a lot to consider and hopefully we can get there someday soon.' ENDS
Int'l Cricket Council
21-04-2025
- Sport
- Int'l Cricket Council
Pakistan make home advantage count in thrilling Qualifier
The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 Qualifier went down to the wire, with the final place at the main event not decided until the very latter stages of the competition. Bangladesh ended up joining Pakistan among the top two but only held on by the skin of their teeth as West Indies narrowly missed out on net run rate, with two early defeats proving costly. Pakistan clear of the competition Pakistan have long been Qualifier specialists, having come through the same route in 2009, 2013 and 2017, and they quickly asserted their authority on home soil. They began with a 38-run victory over Ireland and then saw off Scotland by six wickets, captain Fatima Sana starring with four for 23. A pivotal 65-run win over West Indies put them on the brink of qualification and they sealed their World Cup spot with an 87-run victory against Thailand before closing out an unbeaten competition by beating Bangladesh on the final day. Fatima shone with bat and ball, scoring 103 runs – including an unbeaten 62 against Thailand – and taking 12 wickets at 12.25, while going at fewer than four runs an over. Sidra Amin and Muneeba Ali also made valuable contributions with the bat, scoring 225 and 223 runs respectively, while Nashra Sandhu and Sadia Iqbal impressed in their bowling attack. Nigar and Sharmin inspire Bangladesh Fatima was not the only skipper to lead from the front, with Nigar Sultana's runs crucial in Bangladesh's success. The skipper reeled off consecutive scores of 101, 51 and 83 not out in Bangladesh's first three matches and it was no coincidence that they went on to win them all. That gave them enough of a cushion – just – that they could afford to lose their final two games and still progress. Nigar did not end the competition as her side's leading run-scorer, however, with that honour going to the consistent Sharmin Akhter. Sharmin scored half-centuries against Thailand (94 not out), Scotland (57) and West Indies (67), finishing with 266 runs at 66.50. West Indies fall just short West Indies paid for a slow start in Pakistan, with their late surge not enough to carry them into the top two. Hayley Matthews could barely have done more to lead her side's bid, setting the tone with an unbeaten century in an 11-run defeat to Scotland which ultimately proved fatal. Matthews finished her competition with a 29-ball 70 as her side chased down 166 inside 11 overs against Thailand, narrowly failing to overhaul Bangladesh's net run rate in the process. She also took a tournament-high 13 wickets, including four for 24 in a six-run win over Ireland, while Aaliyah Alleyne chipped in with 12. But despite an impressive win over Bangladesh and their blitz against Thailand, West Indies left it too late to continue their record of being at every ICC Women's Cricket World Cup since 2000 and will miss out later in the year. Bryce efforts in vain while Ireland and Thailand miss out Scotland may not have made it through but the tournament's top-scorer Kathryn Bryce enjoyed many moments to savour in Lahore. Scores of 91 against Pakistan and 60 against Thailand were followed by a majestic 131 not out against Ireland, her first ODI century. But Bryce's all-round efforts – she also took six wickets across the competition – were not enough to see her side over the line as they failed to build on that eye-catching opening victory over West Indies, losing to Pakistan, Bangladesh and Ireland, the latter by one wicket in a final-ball thriller. That result ensured Ireland finished on a high after their hopes had been ended earlier in the competition, narrow defeats against West Indies (by six runs) and Bangladesh (by two wickets) showcasing the fine margins which proved decisive. Gaby Lewis and Amy Hunter impressed with the bat for Ireland, while Jane Maguire took three wickets against both Pakistan and West Indies. Thailand ended winless but were competitive, particularly in their matches against Ireland and Scotland. Natthakan Chantham scored two half-centuries while 21-year-old left-arm spinner Thipatcha Putthawong finished with eight wickets at 26.62.
