In a cruel twist, the West Indies Women’s cricket team found it hard to be knocked out of the ODI World Cup 2025 qualification process despite achieving a commanding victory against Thailand, winning by six wickets, in their qualifier match at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, on April 19, 2025.
While the victory against Thailand was dominant, an almost impossible margin on the Net Run Rate (NRR) knocked West Indies out of the ODI World Cup later that year in India.
West Indies Fails to Qualify for ODI World Cup 2025 but Seals Victory against Thailand
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The West Indies had a fantastic performance, chasing down Thailand’s total of 166 runs in 39.1 overs with Hayley Matthews leading the charge as always.
Matthews was in fantastic touch, hitting a superb total of 70 runs of 29 balls, Qiana Joseph was a handy support, making 26 of 12 balls. Chinelle Henry also contributed with 48 runs from only 17 balls, playing in the frantic style of the Caribbean team.
While it was an impressive chase, the West Indies Women could not drastically shift their Net Run Rate (NRR) to pass Bangladesh on the table. With a NRR of +0.626 to Bangladesh’s +0.639, they were slightly behind by 0.01.
That tiny number altered the direction of the World Cup offer, and one particular moment in that match mattered. If Stefanie Taylor had hit a four (instead of a 6 from basically the impossible) and won the match, it meant qualifying for the World Cup, but it was a six, and they fell short.
Bangladesh Rise, Pakistan Through Despite Early Losses
In a twist of fate, Bangladesh leapfrogged the West Indies due to a slightly better Net Run Rate. In the other qualifier, Bangladesh lost to Pakistan by 7 wickets at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground, but their NRR was enough to get the final spot available for the ODI World Cup 2025.
Thus, the two teams that will join India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, England, Australia, and South Africa in the tournament are Bangladesh and Pakistan. India, as a host country, and also the rest of the teams, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, England, Australia, and South Africa, made it through.
Pakistan’s Demolition Job and Qualification
In the other game of the day, the Pakistan Women’s team finished strongly after a comprehensive win over Bangladesh in their qualifier match. Pakistan chased 179, thanks to a confident innings from Muneeba Ali (69 runs), as well as Aliya Riaz hitting her third half-century of the tournament, completing the chase with 10.2 overs remaining.
Sadia Iqbal put in a fantastic bowling display with the brilliant figures of 3 wickets for only 28 runs, bowling a full complement of 10 overs. Fatima Sana and Diana Baig also chipped in with 2 wickets each.
It was unfortunate for West Indies Women, who arguably had the result of the tournament with a phenomenal win over Thailand, but it came second to qualifying due to their very slim and sadly unbreakable Net Run Rate (NRR), i.e. they staged a ‘demolition job’ on Thailand, but it was too late.
The West Indies women had performed admirably throughout the tournament, but failing to achieve a World Cup berth and holding on to that heartbreaking slice of disappointment would hang over their thoughts.
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Pakistan’s Demolition Job and Qualification
In the other game of the day, the Pakistan Women’s team finished strongly after a comprehensive win over Bangladesh in their qualifier match. Pakistan chased 179, thanks to a confident innings from Muneeba Ali (69 runs), as well as Aliya Riaz hitting her third half-century of the tournament, completing the chase with 10.2 overs remaining.
Sadia Iqbal put in a fantastic bowling display with the brilliant figures of 3 wickets for only 28 runs, bowling a full complement of 10 overs. Fatima Sana and Diana Baig also chipped in with 2 wickets each.
It was unfortunate for West Indies Women, who arguably had the result of the tournament with a phenomenal win over Thailand, but it came second to qualifying due to their very slim and sadly unbreakable Net Run Rate (NRR), i.e. they staged a ‘demolition job’ on Thailand, but it was too late.
The West Indies women had performed admirably throughout the tournament, but failing to achieve a World Cup berth and holding on to that heartbreaking slice of disappointment would hang over their thoughts.
West Indies Women’s Team Performance Review
In the match against Thailand, Afy Fletcher was magnificent with the shied, 4/20 off her 10 overs. She contributed largely to restricting Thailand to 166 all out in 46.1 overs. Aaliyah Alleyne also performed well by taking 3 wickets and building consistent pressure on the Thai batting unit. Matthews was an exceptional standout for the West Indies Women’s team in the qualifiers.
Matthew’s weight of runs was intimidating to opponents, and Fletcher’s bowling ball was also equally intimidating. It is unfortunate and frustrating for the team and their supporters to miss qualification with such a close NRR variance, but the players gave a good account of themselves.
Looking Ahead: Bangladesh and Pakistan Will Represent Asia At The 2025 ODI World Cup
With Bangladesh and Pakistan now qualifying for the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup, both teams will now be planning their preparations for the successful tournament that will be held in India from September 29 to October 26, 2025.
The West Indies missed out on qualification, which means that the future is promising for Pakistan and Bangladesh as they look to shine on the world stage. However, for the West Indies, they will now have to come to terms with their near miss and focus on the next time they get the chance on the international circuit.
Key Takeaways:
West Indies missed out on the ODI World Cup 2025 as they narrowly lost to Bangladesh in the qualification stages based on Net Run Rate.
West Indies defeated Thailand by six wickets but weren’t able to qualify.
Both Pakistan and Bangladesh qualified for the final two positions for the 2025 ODI Women’s World Cup.
Pakistan pushed through towards qualification and defeated Bangladesh in their respective qualifier match, as Muneeba Ali and Sadia Iqbal were the key players.
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