ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifiers: Aliya powers Pakistan to victory over Scotland in second consecutive win

Pakistan beat Scotland by six wickets in a rain-curtailed encounter on the back of an unbeaten knock by Aliya Riaz in their second One-Day International (ODI) encounter of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 Qualifiers in Lahore.

The hosts were chasing 187 to win under the Duckworth-Lewis method in a match that was curtailed to 32 overs per side due to rain delaying the start of play. The hosts eventually chased it down with ease, getting 190 for 4 — with eight balls to spare, thanks to player of the match Aliya’s unbeaten 68 not out.

Speaking at the post-match ceremony at the Lahore City Cricket Association (LCCA) Ground, the right-handed batter said, “I told Muneeb Ali that we should focus on building a partnership and gradually up the run-rate.

“I was taking the innings ball to ball and was waiting to hit out on the deliveries that fell into my radar.”

She added that they were focusing on the task of qualifying for the Women’s World Cup, and that the top-order batters were approaching the tournament with that responsibility in mind.

Pakistan suffered early blows in their chase of 187 set by Scotland, with new entrant Gull Feroza and the experienced Sidra Amin falling for two and seven, respectively, with just 36 runs on the board.

Opener Muneeba was joined by the last match’s half centurion Aliya at the crease and combined for a steady partnership of 93 runs that all but took Scotland out of the game.

Scotland were sloppy in the field — giving away extra runs and giving Muneeba a reprieve in the form of dropped catches on 37 and 54 both times by Abbi Aitken-Drummond, with the southpaw making the most of the chances and scoring 71.

Aliya scored her second consecutive half-century in the match, hitting 68 of just 70 deliveries in an innings that included seven boundaries and a six. She lost partners at the other end but maintained her cool to chase the score down with ease towards the end of the innings.

In the first innings, after being put into to bat after losing the toss — Scotland’s skipper Kathryn Bryce, led from the front, scoring 91 of 96 balls and hitting 10 boundaries and a six before being bowled by Pakistan captain Fatima Sana.

Fatima was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan. She ended with figures of 4-23 as the side restricted Scotland to 186 for nine wickets in the innings that was restricted to 32 overs.

Pakistan struck early blows with left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal and seamer Diana Baig getting Scotland’s openers Drummond and Pippa Sproul within the first five overs of the match.

After a decent partnership of 51 for the third wicket for Scotland, Nashra Sandhu got the better of Sarah Bryce to make the scoreboard 68 for three.

Scotland lost half their side with the score at 134 in the 25th over with the onus on skipper Bryce to hold the innings together to ensure that they batted out the remainder of the innings.

The match start had been delayed by three hours at the LCCA ground in Lahore due to a wet outfield amid a rainy day in Lahore.

The six-team ICC Qualifiers event includes Bangladesh, Ireland, Scotland, Thailand and West Indies alongside hosts Pakistan. It features a single-league round-robin format, with the matches taking place at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium and LCCA ground from April 9 to 19.

The tournament will decide the two qualifiers for the 2025 Women’s World Cup, to be held later this year in India.

Earlier in the week, Pakistan women beat Ireland by 38 runs in a low-scoring thriller to win the opening encounter of the tournament.

On a hot day in Lahore, Pakistan’s Diana Baig and Nashra Sandhu starred with the ball, picking up four and three wickets each to bowl the Irish women’s team out for 179 after scoring 217 batting first.

Teams

Pakistan: Muneeba Ali, Gull Feroza, Sidra Amin, Aliya Riaz, Omaima Sohail, Fatima Sana (captain), Sidra Nawaz, Rameen Shamim, Diana Baig, Nashra Sandhu and Sadia Iqbal.

Scotland: Abbi Aitken-Drummond, Pippa Sproul, Kathryn Bryce (captain), Sarah Bryce, Ailsa Lister. Megan McColl, Katherine Fraser, Priyanaz Chatterji , Chloe Abel, Rachel Slater and Abtaha Maqsood.