Fatima Sana To Lead Pakistan In ICC Women's WC Qualifiers. No Nida Dar

Host Pakistan have announced a 15-member squad for the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup qualifiers on Wednesday, with pace all-rounder Fatima Sana, who led Pakistan at last year's ICC Women's T20 World Cup, continuing to lead the team in the 50-over event. Hosting the six-team tournament between April 9-19 at the Gaddafi Stadium and LCCA ground in Lahore, Pakistan, are among the six nations vying for the remaining two spots at the 13th edition of the 50-over World Cup later this year in India.

Shawaal Zulfiqar makes a comeback to the national side after suffering from a shoulder injury during the tour of New Zealand in December 2023. Bowling all-rounder Nida Dar is a major name missing in the squad, having been among the 19 players who were called to the training camp ahead of the qualifier tournament.

The six-team ICC qualifier, which includes Bangladesh, Ireland, Scotland, Thailand and West Indies alongside hosts Pakistan, will feature a single-league round-robin format. Each team will play against the other once and the top two teams will eventually qualify for the Cricket World Cup in India.

Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium and LCCA ground will host 15 matches of the event, with Pakistan playing Ireland in the opening match of the competition at the Gaddafi Stadium.

On April 11, Pakistan will play Scotland at the LCCA ground in a day game, while the hosts will take on West Indies in a day-night fixture on April 14 at the Gaddafi Stadium.

Pakistan will face Thailand in their fourth fixture of the event scheduled on April 17 in a day-night fixture at Gaddafi Stadium, while their final group stage match will be against Bangladesh on April 19 at the LCCA ground, which will be a day match.

Pakistan women's squad: Fatima Sana (c), Najiha Alvi, Gull Feroza, Sidra Amin, Omaima Sohail, Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Sadia Iqbal, Nashra Sundhu, Muneeba Ali, Rameen Shamim, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Syeda Aroob Shah, Natalia Parvaiz, Sidra Nawaz

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