Pakistan Women captain Fatima Sana take Pakistan into the World Cup 2025

That’s a solid turnaround from Pakistan — from a five-match losing streak to booking their Women’s ODI World Cup spot with a game to spare, and doing it on home soil too. That has to feel pretty sweet for them, especially since qualifying can get brutally tight once net run rate starts coming into play, as we’re seeing now with Bangladesh, Scotland, and West Indies. It’s also impressive how they’ve controlled their campaign, avoiding the last-day scramble. Even if some wins weren’t convincing, getting over the line in all four so far shows resilience, which they were sorely missing just a few months ago. Now the Bangladesh match is more about momentum than qualification for Pakistan — but for Bangladesh, the stakes are huge, especially with Scotland and West Indies breathing down their necks. If Scotland and West Indies can pull off big-margin wins, and Pakistan handle Bangladesh comfortably, the table could still get a dramatic last-minute shake-up. That’s quite the all-round masterclass from Fatima Sana — both with the bat and the ball! It’s no wonder Pakistan sealed their World Cup spot with that kind of captain’s performance. Coming in with the bat when the innings was crawling and lifting the run rate single-handedly, then turning around to break Thailand’s back with the ball — that’s the kind of game you dream of as a skipper. And Sidra Amin has been the rock for Pakistan all tournament long, quietly stacking up those runs. Her third fifty-plus score in the qualifiers is a real testament to her consistency at the top, especially when the middle order has sometimes looked shaky. As for Thailand, it’s tough not to feel a little for them — they’ve shown genuine growth, especially with that 259 chase against Ireland, but the jump from promise to results is always the hardest in international cricket. That stumping decision against Chanida could’ve easily swung the momentum a bit too, but once they slipped to 44 for 3, there wasn’t much room to recover. And now it’s all set up for a dramatic final day — West Indies will be eyeing a thumping win over Thailand to keep their qualification hopes alive, while Bangladesh will be fighting to avoid a big defeat against Pakistan. Also, the note about Pakistan likely playing at a neutral venue due to the India-Pakistan cricket situation is interesting but not unexpected — this hybrid hosting model might become the new normal for ICC events involving the two. That was a clutch win from West Indies! Just when it looked like their campaign was slipping away, they’ve pulled off a gritty chase under pressure — and against an unbeaten Bangladesh side, no less. Stafanie Taylor and Hayley Matthews have usually been the mainstays, but it was the lower middle order this time — particularly Shabika Gajnabi and Aaliyah Alleyne — that turned things around. Alleyne not only did the damage with the ball (4 for 39) but the lower order really held their nerve during the chase, especially after the top order wobbled. Bangladesh looked in control at 227, thanks to Sharmin Akhter's patient 67 and Hoque’s 42, but it felt like they left 20-30 runs on the table, which ultimately made the difference. Once West Indies clawed their way back with late partnerships, the momentum fully flipped. This result has blown the qualification race wide open again. Now everything hinges on: Pakistan vs Bangladesh: if Pakistan win (especially big) it puts massive pressure on Bangladesh’s NRR. West Indies vs Thailand: West Indies will need to win big to stay ahead in the NRR battle. Scotland vs Ireland: Scotland are still in the mix too, if they win big and the NRR margins swing their way. After this, the final spots could come down to decimal points on the net run rate — classic World Cup drama.