Invincible Pakistan wrap up Women’s World Cup qualifiers with 7-wicket win over Bangladesh
Pakistan finished the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 Qualifiers at the top of the table with a domineering win over Bangladesh by seven wickets in Lahore on Saturday to remain unbeaten in the tournament.
Pakistan had already booked their spot for the World Cup to be held later this year in India on Thursday, courtesy of their bowlers, who had once again stepped up to defend a below-par score of 205 against Thailand.
Playing in their final One-Day International (ODI) encounter of the tournament, the Green Team restricted Bangladesh to a paltry 178-9 in the first innings at the Lahore City Cricket Association ground.
In the second innings, the hosts reached the target with ease, getting over the line with more than 10 overs to spare, with player of the match Muneeba Ali scoring 69 to set up the chase.
Pakistan’s bowlers put in yet another memorable performance as Bangladesh could only manage 178-9 on a track that wasn’t as difficult to bat on.
Bangladesh got off to a rocky start when they lost their openers for low scores courtesy of Pakistan captain Fatima Sana and spinner Sadia Iqbal, both continuing with their terrific form with the ball throughout the tournament.
Fargana Hoque fell for a seven-ball duck as Fatima got her with a ball that came in after pitching.
Bangladesh were 21-3 at one stage after they lost captain Nigar Sultana to another inducker by Fatima.
Bangladesh veteran bats Ritu Moni and Fahima Khatun were the mainstays for their side, both scoring 40+ scores to rescue their team from a precarious situation at one stage in the innings.
Sadia Iqbal was the pick of the bowlers for the hosts, getting three wickets for 28 off her 10 overs with her wily left-arm spin.
After Pakistan lost opener Shawaal Zulfiqar on just the second ball of the innings, Muneeba starred with the bat again for Pakistan, with an innings of 69 runs.
The southpaw opener hit eight sublime boundaries during her stay at the crease and ensured Bangladesh never made inroads into the middle order.
