As the ICC ODI World Cup Qualifiers are fast approaching, the Pakistan women’s team is fully prepared to secure a spot in the prestigious World Cup, which will take place in India later this year. Under the young captain, Fatima Sana, and a new coaching staff, armed with fresh strategies and a blend of youthful energy and seasoned players, the Pakistan team is primed to rise to the challenge and secure their spot in the ODI World Cup.
The ICC ODI World Cup Qualifier is set to begin on 9th April in Pakistan, with six teams—Pakistan, Ireland, West Indies, Scotland, Bangladesh, and Thailand—competing for a spot in the prestigious ICC ODI World Cup. The teams will play in a round-robin format, with the top two teams earning their place in the World Cup, set to take place in India. A total of 15 matches will be played across two venues, Gaddafi Stadium and Lahore Cricket Club Association (LCCA), over 11 days. The last match will take place on 19th April. Pakistan will kick off their campaign on 9th April against Ireland at the newly rebuild Gaddafi Stadium.
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Pakistan Women’s team finished 9th in the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25, just ahead of Ireland, with a record of 8 wins, 15 losses, and one no result. They finished behind Bangladesh and the West Indies, both competing in the World Cup Qualifiers. The team’s performance was impacted by frequent changes in management, captaincy, and the selection committee.
The campaign began in June 2022 with Bismah Maroof as captain, David Hemp as head coach, and Saleem Jaffar as bowling coach. Pakistan won their first two home series, defeating Sri Lanka 2-1 and Ireland 3-0. After Hemp’s contract ended in October 2022, Jaffar became interim head coach. Under Bismah, Pakistan struggled on the Australia tour, losing 3-0, coinciding with Najam Sethi replacing Ramiz Raja as PCB chairman.
Following poor performances in Australia and the T20 World Cup, Bismah stepped down as captain in March 2023, and 36-year-old Nida Dar was appointed. Mark Coles was appointed as head coach but resigned in August, citing personal reasons, Saleem Jaffar replaced Asmavia Iqbal as Selection Committee Head and Mohtashim Rasheed became interim head coach. Under Nida, Pakistan played five series but won none.
Pakistan won only two of their four home series during the Championship, losing five of their last six ODIs at home. With the World Cup Qualifiers approaching, the team must improve their home performance to secure a spot in the World Cup later this year.
New Captain, New Management
After Pakistan failed to qualify for the World Cup, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi restructured the selection committee in April 2024, adding Abdul Razzaq, Asad Shafiq, Batool Fatima, the coach, and the captain, while retaining Asmavia Iqbal and Marina from the previous committee.
In June 2024, PCB appointed Mohammad Wasim as head coach, Junaid Khan as assistant coach, and Abdur Rehman as spin bowling coach. Fatima Sana was named captain in August 2024, initially for the T20 World Cup.
With Pakistan’s last ODI match in May 2024, this will be the first test of the new management and captain, although they’ve been working together in training camps for the past two months.
Preparations
Although Pakistan hasn’t played an ODI in over a year, the players have participated in two training camps over the past two months in preparation for the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifiers.
In February 2025, the PCB held a 27-day training camp at the PCB High-Performance Academy in Faisalabad, with 33 players taking part in various training sessions and practice matches.
A second 10-day training camp was announced on March 20, 2025, where 19 players attended. The camp included net sessions, fielding drills at Ghani Class Academy in DHA (Lahore), and practice matches at Gaddafi Stadium and Lahore Cricket Club Association (LCCA).
“I think the team is in good spirits, and the way results are coming in practice matches, the team is looking in good rhythm, and we’ll try to carry this momentum forward. We often see good crowds in Lahore whenever we play, and our aim would be to enjoy it, boost our morale, and try to get to the winning moment,” Pakistan Captain Fatima Sana in an interview during the practice game at LCCA ground (Via @sporrtingnerd).
Squad
On March 26th, the PCB announced a 15-member squad for the ICC World Cup Qualifiers, with young Fatima leading Pakistan as captain in her first-ever multi-national 50-over tournament.
Fatima Sana (captain), Muneeba Ali (vice-captain), Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Gull Feroza, Najiha Alvi (wicket-keeper), Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Omaima Sohail, Rameen Shamim, Sadia Iqbal, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz (wicket-keeper) and Syeda Aroob Shah.
The announced squad includes four openers, two left-arm spinners, two wicketkeepers, two pacers, three middle-order batters, an off-spinner, and a leg-spinner.
The selection of four specialist openers has been carefully planned by the coaching staff. While Sidra Amin has been regularly opening for Pakistan for several years, she recently batted at number 4 in the National Women’s One Day Cup, leading her side to a title victory as captain. Muneeba Ali, who typically opens for Pakistan, was shifted to number 3 in the National Cup despite the lack of other opening options in her team. This suggests that the PCB has been planning for them to bat in the 3 and 4 positions for months and has given them the task to do so in domestic cricket. Meanwhile, both Shawaal Zulfiqar and Gull Feroza have batted as openers in domestic and practice games. Therefore, Pakistan’s top four will most likely be Shawaal Zulfiqar, Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali, and Sidra Amin.
Aliya Riaz, Natalia Pervaiz, and Omaima Sohail are making a comeback after stellar performances in the National Cup last year. Aliya Riaz, who was dropped from the central contract last year, returns to the squad following a brilliant domestic tournament. She scored 382 runs at an average of 76.40 and a strike rate of 88.84, finishing as the highest run-scorer of the tournament.
After Nida Dar’s exclusion from the final 15-member squad, which was initially called for the 19-member camp in Lahore, the major responsibility now falls on Aliya Riaz’s shoulders as a senior player in the middle order. She will be tasked with helping her side play the full 50 overs and providing valuable insights to the young captain.
Considering the PCB’s planning for the top-4, it’s likely that only one of the middle-order batters, Aliya Riaz, will play at number 5 in the playing XI. However, Omaima Sohail could also have a chance if the management decides to include an extra batter, as she can contribute 10 overs with her off-spin.
Among the two wicketkeepers, Najiha Alvi and Sidra Nawaz, Najiha Alvi had a strong performance in the National One Day Cup, outperforming Sidra Nawaz both in wicketkeeping and batting. Sidra Nawaz is also making her international return after sixteen months, having last played in September 2023 against South Africa. Najiha also batted at a better strike rate than Sidra Nawaz, strengthening her case as a number 6 or 7 batter. In a post-squad media talk, head coach Mohammad Wasim also emphasized the importance of intent from the batters. Therefore, it’s highly likely that Najiha Alvi will be preferred over Sidra Nawaz. Although in the past, Sidra Nawaz wicketkeeping skills often given her an edge in selection.
The four main bowlers will include two pacers, captain Fatima Sana and Diana Baig, and two left-arm spinners, Nashra Sundhu and Sadia Iqbal. Pakistan’s performance in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers will heavily depend on how these four bowlers perform, as the team’s success is highly reliant on their bowling, and they are the most senior and experienced bowlers in the squad.
“Right now we’re in a camp where we practice for both day games and day-and-night games, as in the Qualifiers we will play in both conditions. Before this, we had almost a month-long camp in Faisalabad, where in the initial phase we emphasized a lot on fitness and also played a lot of matches. We have done good overall preparation needed for the tournament, and we’re hopeful to provide good results in the Qualifiers,” said Diana Baig in an interview with sports side during the practice game at Gaddafi Stadium.
In the press release for a 10-day training camp, the PCB stated that right-handed leg-spinner Tuba Hasan has been ruled out of the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifiers due to a fractured finger. This is a significant loss for Pakistan, as Tuba had not only improved as a leg-spinner in the 50-over format but had also been contributing with the bat, helping her side in crucial moments.
In place of Tuba Hasan, the selection committee had two options: the experienced Ghulam Fatima, who was the joint-third highest wicket-taker in the National Cup last year and the leading wicket-taker in the last series she played for Pakistan, and young Aroob Shah. While Aroob may not be as accomplished a leg-spinner as Ghulam Fatima, she offers value with the bat, particularly in the death overs. The management ultimately chose Aroob over Ghulam. This was a tough decision, given Ghulam Fatima’s strong performances in these conditions, Aroob’s bowling abilities, and the presence of 2-3 batting all-rounders in the squad.
When asked in a media talk, Head Coach Mohammad Wasim said, “She’s with us (Ghulam Fatima) in reserves. But again, looking at team combination, the best playing XI, and fitness issues—if we collect all the factors, the best players have been selected. Ghulam Fatima is definitely in our plans, we’re working on her fitness, and you’ll see her in the near future.”
In the 19-member squad, there was a competition between Umm-Hani and Rameen Shamim for the off-spinner role. The selection committee chose Rameen ahead of Umm-Hani, considering her recent bowling and batting form in the National One Day Cup.
Schedule
Pakistan fixtures (day matches begin at 9.30am and day/night matches at 2pm local time):
vs Ireland – 9 April, Gaddafi Stadium (Day)
vs Scotland – 11 April, LCCA (Day)
vs West Indies – 14 April, Gaddafi Stadium (D/N)
vs Thailand – 17 April, Gaddafi Stadium (D/N)
vs Bangladesh – 19 April, LCCA (Day)
Among the five games, the matches against West Indies and Bangladesh will be particularly challenging for Pakistan. Pakistan lost 3-0 to the West Indies at home last year and 2-1 to Bangladesh in Bangladesh in 2023, so they will face a tough challenge in beating them. To qualify, Pakistan must win at least one of these two matchups and then secure victories in the remaining three matches to put themselves in a strong position for World Cup qualification in India. It will be interesting to see what strategy the new management and captain come up with to overcome West Indies and Bangladesh in the Qualifiers. In a recent media talk, the head coach emphasized the importance of intent, playing positive cricket, and hitting more boundaries.
“The setup is new; we’ve only had six months since we took over, and we’re moving in the right direction. Our aim is to keep improving as we go forward. A lot of things have already changed, especially the mindset of playing. You’ll see more attacking cricket now, the girls’ fitness will improve, and you’ll see better fielding efforts. It’s a process, and we’re following it. You’ll see good results,” said Head Coach Mohammad Wasim in a media talk.
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