Pakistan take home advantage in thrilling WC Qualifier

ISLAMABAD: 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 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 4-23.

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.

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.

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 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. 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.