Pakistan announces women's squad for World Cup qualifiers

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a 15-member squad for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifiers. The tournament will be held in Lahore from April 9 to 19. Pakistan is hosting the event, which also includes teams from Bangladesh, Ireland, Scotland, Thailand, and the West Indies. The matches will take place at Gaddafi Stadium and LCCA ground in Lahore, using a round-robin format. This qualifier will determine the two teams that will join the 2025 Women’s World Cup in India later this year. Due to India's refusal to play matches in Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy, Pakistan's games will be held at a neutral venue. This tournament marks the women's team's first competitive outing since last October. Fatima Sana will captain the team, having led them in previous international matches. Shawaal Zulfiqar returns to the squad after recovering from a shoulder injury. The squad was selected based on players' form and fitness from recent training camps. Pakistan's first match will be against Ireland on April 9, followed by games against Scotland, West Indies, Thailand, and Bangladesh. Match timings for day games will be at 9:30 AM and for day-night matches at 2 PM. In other news, earlier this month, the PCB revealed that the base payments for women domestic cricketers are lower than the minimum wage in Pakistan. The PCB had announced domestic contracts for 90 players but the monthly retainers have not been disclosed and are reportedly below the minimum wage of Rs37,000. There has been no increase in match fees despite rising inflation.