West Indies Win But Fall Short, Bangladesh Clinch World Cup Spot

The final day of the Women’s ODI World Cup Qualifier was filled with intense drama. Without even stepping onto the field, Bangladesh found themselves caught in a nail-biting equation. A heavy defeat to Pakistan in their previous game had put their World Cup hopes in jeopardy. All eyes then turned to the match between West Indies and Thailand.

For West Indies, the objective was not just to win, but to chase down the target within a specific number of overs in order to surpass Bangladesh’s net run rate. Chasing 167, they needed to reach the target in just 10.1 overs to leapfrog Bangladesh in net run rate.

They came agonizingly close—sealing victory with a six in 10.5 overs—but it wasn’t enough. West Indies finished with a net run rate of 0.626, falling just short of Bangladesh’s 0.639.

As a result, Bangladesh edged ahead by the slimmest of margins to secure the final spot in the main round of the Women’s ODI World Cup. Although West Indies registered a dominant win over Thailand, it simply wasn’t sufficient.

A total of eight teams will participate in the upcoming ODI World Cup. Hosts India will be joined by Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka—who had already secured qualification. From the qualifiers, Pakistan (as hosts) and Bangladesh (in dramatic fashion) complete the lineup.