The 2025 Women’s World Cup Qualifier ran between April 9 and 19. Hosts Pakistan qualified for the main event, as did Bangladesh, as the West Indies missed out on a net run rate difference of 0.013. Here is Wisden's team of the tournament.
Hayley Matthews (West Indies)
M: 5 | 240 runs at 60.00, SR 117, HS: 114*, 1 hundred, 1 fifty | 13 wickets at 15.84, Ec 4.46, BBI: 4-24
Matthews took four wickets, then retired hurt twice but still made a hundred against Scotland, and followed it with four more wickets against Ireland. Against Thailand, she smashed a 29-ball 70. Her 13 wickets were the most in the tournament. Had cricket been an individual sport, Matthews would have sleepwalked into the World Cup. Unfortunately, it turned out to be largely a solo effort, as her side failed to qualify.
Muneeba Ali (Pakistan)
M: 5 | 223 runs at 44.60, SR 70, HS: 71, 2 fifties
The rock at the top of the Pakistan batting order, Muneeba reached double figures in all five games and went past 30 in all but one innings. If the scoring rate seems slow, it probably had to do with the tournament run rate being only 4.85.
Kathryn Bryce (Scotland)
M: 5 | 293 runs at 73.25, SR 94, HS: 131*, 1 hundred, 2 fifties | 6 wickets at 32.33, Ec 6.06, BBI: 3-49
Named the Player of the Tournament ahead of Matthews, Bryce broke a plethora of records en route to her hundred against Ireland to finish as the leading run-scorer of the tournament. She also got six wickets, but her bowling may not be needed in this galaxy of all-rounders.
Nigar Sultana Joty (Bangladesh – wicketkeeper)
M: 5 | 241 runs at 60.25, SR 108, HS: 101, 1 hundred, 1 fifty | Ct: 2, St: 3
Sultana peaked at the right time for Bangladesh. Nothing in her career – average 25.02, strike rate 52 – suggested the kind of tournament she was about to have. The 80-ball 101 or the 59-ball 83 not out might not have come against the Full Members, but Bangladesh would not have made it without them.
Laura Delany (Ireland)
M: 5 | 175 runs at 58.33, SR 78, HS: 63, 2 fifties | 1 wicket at 94.00, Ec 5.22, BBI: 1-28
Delany’s 63 had lifted Ireland to 235-8, and would have been celebrated more had Bangladesh not pulled off a heist. Against Scotland, however, she stood amidst the ruins as wickets fell around her, ensuring Ireland’s dismal campaign ended on a high.
Fatima Sana (Pakistan – captain)
M: 5 | 103 runs at 34.33, SR 97, HS: 62*, 1 fifty | 12 wickets at 12.25, Ec 3.97, BBI: 4-23
Yet another contender for the Player of the Tournament, Sana led Pakistan to an unbeaten run. In a tournament dominated by spin, Sana used her medium-paced bowling at various points of the innings, and finished a wicket behind Matthews but with a superior economy rate. She also made a crucial fifty.
Chinelle Henry (West Indies)
M: 5 | 171 runs at 57.00, SR 150, HS: 51*, 1 fifty | 1 wicket at 88.00, Ec 4.40, BBI: 1-38
Henry hit 10 sixes in a tournament where no one hit more than three, resulting in her jaw-dropping strike rate of 150. In this XI, she will be used as a floater. Would the West Indies have qualified had she opened the batting against Thailand? One will never know.
Aaliyah Alleyne (West Indies)
M: 5 | 63 runs @ 21.00, SR 64, HS: 22 | 12 wickets @ 13.67, Ec 5.46, BBI: 4-39
An unsung star of the West Indies unit, Alleyne’s 12 wickets were the joint second-most in the tournament, though she was used sparingly in the West Indies’s spin-heavy attack. She is the second seamer of this XI.
Katherine Fraser (Scotland)
M: 5 | 77 runs @ 19.25, SR 76, HS: 33 | 10 wickets at 19.80, Ec 4.35, BBI: 3-28
Fraser’s cameo and triple strike had been responsible for the West Indies’s defeat (and subsequent elimination). She went on to take seven more wickets (and play another cameo, against Ireland).
Nashra Sandhu (Pakistan)
M: 5 | 10 wickets at 15.60, Ec 3.54, BBI: 3-19
The unhittable Sandhu’s most expensive spell was 9-0-41-3, while she took 10 wickets in the competition. She was one of the reasons for Pakistan dominating the middle overs in all five games.
Jane Maguire (Ireland)
M: 4 | 8 wickets at 18.87, Ec 4.19, BBI: 3-33
Maguire was a reliable presence for Ireland with the ball, and her two standout performances came against two strong outfits, 3-33 against Pakistan and 3-35 against West Indies.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
