Players to watch at Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2025

A treat awaits cricket fans as six sides take on each other at the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 Qualifier in Pakistan. This event will determine the final two spots left for grabs at ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025.

We look at a number of emerging players to keep an eye on as the tournament approaches.

All matches in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2025 will be available to watch live on ICC.tv around the world, while fans in India can follow the action on FanCode.

Shorna Akter (Bangladesh)

Shorna Akter first made her mark at the inaugural ICC Women's U19 Cricket World Cup 2023, being the highest run-scorer for her side with 153 runs at an average of 51 with a vehement strike rate of 157.7.

Her stunning form led to an immediate promotion into the senior setup, where the youngster has since gone on to cement her place and reputation.

She has additional leg-spin skills that have yielded 18 international wickets so far, though the all-rounder would look to make an equal impact with her batting in the lower middle-order for her side.

Leah Paul (Ireland)

A handy all-rounder now with 90 international matches under her belt, Leah Paul has become a key cog in the Irish side.

While she can turn her arm over with aplomb, Leah's batting skills have held Ireland in good stead of late. She stood out with gritty batting performances during her side's tour of India, wherein she had defiant scores of 59, 27*, and 15 despite Ireland losing the series 3-0.

She had a confident knock of 46 in the warm-up against West Indies leading into the tournament, and would love to carry that form over the next couple of weeks in Pakistan.

Gull Feroza (Pakistan)

An adept wicketkeeper-batter in the T20I format, Gull Feroza gets her first opportunity to play the 50-overs format for Pakistan.

Known for her attacking approach, Feroza scored 28 twice in the two warm-up fixtures for Pakistan, and would look to provide similar positive starts at the top.

And if Feroza's strike-rate turns up anywhere closer to her T20I numbers (97.59), she can contribute for the hosts during the important qualification tournament in a big way.

Darcey Carter (Scotland)

Nineteen-year-old Darcey Carter already has 30 international outings for Scotland, and while her role in the T20I side has been that of a finisher, in the ODIs Carter comes higher up the order.

And if she lives anywhere near to her potential, glimpses of which were seen during her 55 in the warm-up against Bangladesh, the youngster can have a tournament to remember. A handy off-spinner too, Carter's bowling can be of immense use to her side in Pakistan.

Phannita Maya (Thailand)

During their warm-up game against Pakistan, while the remaining Thailand side floundered, Maya held her own with an unbeaten 26, being the only player from the side to get to double digits.

Having become a regular for the Thai side over the last three years, the 20-year-old is starting to emerge as a key player, eager to add to her 299 runs and 37 wickets in international cricket.

Maya is an important batter for her side, and can also be handy with her light medium pace, as showed in the team's warm-up against Ireland, where Maya picked up a brace.

Zaida James (West Indies)

A top performer for West Indies in the 2023 U19 Women's T20 World Cup, Zaida James has since transitioned to the senior setup.

A confident left-handed batter, who can be more than handy with her spin (15 wickets with her slow left-arm orthodox), James will be crucial in Pakistan, where the wickets are expected to hold some help for the tweakers.