Following the Champions Trophy, Pakistan is set to organize another significant cricket event. This upcoming tournament will decide which teams will participate in the ICC Women’s World Cup, scheduled to be held in India later this year.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is expected to officially announce Pakistan as the host for the Women’s World Cup qualifier. This six-team competition is anticipated to commence on April 4th. Lahore is likely to be the primary venue, although the exact schedule and locations are still pending final confirmation.
Besides Pakistan, five other teams – Bangladesh, West Indies, Ireland, Scotland, and Thailand – will compete for the two remaining qualification slots in the eight-team World Cup in India. Australia, England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and India, as the host nation, have already secured their places in the 50-over tournament planned for October.
This tournament carries particular weight due to the complex relationship between India and Pakistan in cricket. Despite political tensions, both the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have recently agreed to a system of hosting global matches in each other’s countries on a neutral venue basis, overseen by the ICC. This arrangement, where India plays its Champions Trophy matches in Dubai, exemplifies this understanding.
If the Pakistan women’s team successfully qualifies for the World Cup, the question of where an India versus Pakistan match would be played will become significant. While still hypothetical, it’s a point of considerable future interest.
India previously hosted the Women’s World Cup in 2013, under a partially hybrid model. While most matches were in Mumbai, the Pakistan team played in Cuttack due to security concerns related to political groups in Mumbai.
The qualifier schedule in Pakistan is expected to overlap with the Pakistan Super League (PSL), starting April 11th. Both the PCB and ICC will need to coordinate to avoid scheduling conflicts with this T20 franchise league.
The Champions Trophy marked the return of ICC events to Pakistan after 29 years. Pakistan last co-hosted a global event in 1996, the World Cup, with India and Sri Lanka. Since then, security concerns have prevented ICC events from being held in Pakistan.
