World Cup spot after Fatima Pakistan women Cricket World Cup
Skipper Fatima Sana led the Pakistan women Cricket team to a commanding win on Thursday, securing their qualification for the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 with an 87-run triumph over Thailand in their fourth One-Day International (ODI)
World Cup
Pakistan women Cricket secured their place in the upcoming World Cup, thanks to a strong performance from their bowlers, who successfully defended a modest total of 205 runs. Earlier in the day, Player of the Match and captain Fatima Sana delivered an impressive unbeaten innings of 62, with valuable support from experienced batter Sidra Amin. After the match, the captain of Pakistan stated, ”
Our main objective was to secure qualification for the World Cup.”
The way the team backed each other, and how our confidence grew after the training camp played a significant role in this victory.”
She highlighted that the month-long training camp in Faisalabad before the tournament was crucial to their success in the Qualifiers. Sidra Amin was Pakistan’s highest run-scorer with 80 runs, setting a target of 206 for Thailand in the day-night match at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.
Sidra and Fatima
The 97-run partnership between Sidra and Fatima proved vital for the home side after a shaky start. Pakistan women Cricket continued to face challenges with their batting, losing wickets at regular intervals and struggling to accelerate the run rate in the first half of their innings after choosing to bat. When Fatima joined Sidra at the crease, the scoreboard read a troubling 85-4 in 32 overs.
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Thailand’s Bowlers
Pakistan women Cricket innings got off to a shaky start as medium-pacer Phannita Maya dismissed Shawaal Zulfiqar, who was making her first appearance of the tournament. Shawaal, replacing the young Gull Feroza in the lineup, aimed to break the tight grip Thailand’s bowlers had established early on with their disciplined powerplay performance.
However, she fell while trying to shift the momentum, as Thailand gave little away with the new ball. The next batter to depart was the in-form Muneeba Ali, who fell to a soft dismissal against Onnicha Kamchomphu’s off-spin. Attempting a sweep shot, she top-edged a routine delivery and was caught easily inside the circle.
Pakistan’s Game
Aliya Riaz, who earned Player of the Match honors in Pakistan women Cricket game against Scotland, was dismissed once more via a run-out. Her exit mirrored her previous dismissal against the West Indies, where a miscommunication with Sidra led to her being run out by a considerable margin. Despite the setback, Sidra Amin rose to the occasion once more, delivering under pressure for Pakistan.
She scored her third half-century in four matches of the tournament, playing a key role in stabilizing the innings during a crucial period. Sidra’s 80-run knock came off 105 balls and included eight boundaries, showcasing her experience and composure as a senior member of the team.
Thailand’s fielding lapses, including six dropped catches-one of which gave the Pakistani captain a lifeline-allowed the home side multiple opportunities to regroup and rebuild their innings.
Fatima Sana took full advantage of her second chance, remaining not out on 62 from 59 balls, with five fours and a six, as she guided Pakistan past the 200-run mark in the final over.
West Indies
Thailand began their chase steadily, reaching 44-1 at one point, before Fatima provided the crucial breakthrough by removing Nattaya Boochatham for 16. After that dismissal, wickets fell at regular intervals as Thailand struggled against Pakistan’s spin trio-Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Iqbal, and Rameen Shamim-who ensured the target remained out of reach. Once again, Pakistan women Cricket bowling proved to be their strongest asset, swiftly dismantling the Thai batting lineup.
Fatima led the bowling attack with three wickets, supported by Rameen and Nashra, who each claimed three wickets as well. Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat first on a pitch that appeared to offer less spin than the one in their previous match against the West Indies.
Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium
Pakistan women Cricket came into the match against Thailand as the favorites, holding a higher ranking and the confidence of being unbeaten in their first three matches of the tournament. Thailand, however, came into the game following a high-scoring defeat to Ireland, where they fell short by 46 runs after chasing a challenging target of 306.
The ongoing ICC tournament features six teams-Bangladesh, Ireland, Scotland, Thailand, West Indies, and host Pakistan-battling it out in a round-robin format.
The games are held at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium and LCCA Ground . This tournament will determine the two teams that will qualify for the 2025 Women’s World Cup, set to be held in India later this year. However, Pakistan will play its World Cup matches at a neutral venue, following the implementation of a “hybrid” hosting model after India refused to play its matches in Pakistan.
Playing XIs
- Pakistan women Cricket: Shawaal Zulfiqar, Muneeba Ali, Sidra Amin, Aliya Riaz, Natalia Pervaiz, Sidra Nawaz (wk), Fatima Sana (c), Rameen Shamim, Diana Baig, Sadia Iqbal, Nashra Sandhu.
- Thailand: Nattaya Boochatham, Chanida Sutthiruang, Nannapat Koncharoenkai, Natthakan Chantham, Naruemol Chaiwai (c), Phannita Maya, Onnicha Kamchomphu, Thipatcha Putthawong, Sunida Chaturongrattana, Suwanan Khiaoto (wk), Suleeporn Laomi.
