The 13th edition of the ICC Women’s World Cup is to begin in India from September 30. Sri Lanka will co-host the eight-team event as Pakistan will not be touring India under an agreement signed in February this year. Under the agreement, events hosted in either country will be played at neutral venues until 2027.

The final of the tournament will be held either in Colombo or Navi Mumbai on November 2, with the first semi-final set to be in Guwahati or Colombo on October 29 and the second semi-final in Navi Mumbai on October 30.

It is interesting to note that the Women’s ODI World Cup was first staged in 1973, two years before the men’s Cricket World Cup.  The concept was presented by a lovely personality, England captain Rachael Heyhoe Flint. The ever-green Rachael convinced English businessman Jack Hayward to foot the bills.

The rest is history, as they say. The Women’s Cricket World Cup 1973 was competed by seven teams. The format was different to what is prevalent today. The matches were of 60 overs — not 50 — as was the men’s World Cup in the first three editions. There was a league table deciding the winners instead of a knock-out competition. The first event was won by England, led by Rachael.

The ICC Women’s World Cup, which begins this Tuesday promises to be an exciting event. But can Pakistan Women improve on their last three World Cup showings?

Since then, the event has been dominated by Australia. Dominating completely, the Eves from Australia have won it a staggering seven times. Australia have won the title in 1978, 1982, 1988, 1997, 2005, 2013 and 2022. It seems Australia not only produces good men cricketers but is also fertile in the women’s game. Australian men slightly lag behind their women, having won the men’s World Cup only six times — in 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015 and 2023.

While England’s men have won the ODI title just once — in 1999 — their women have won the title on four occasions. That happened in 1973, 1993, 2009 and 2017.  The only other winner is New Zealand, who kept the Cup when the event was held on their grounds.

The women’s game has evolved with every passing year and every event. While Australia continue to dominate, other countries, such as South Africa, India and the West Indies, have also progressed. The tournament has grown in popularity and in prize money, with more teams participating and more viewers tuning in to watch the matches. This was largely due to the International Cricket Council (ICC) taking the women’s game under its supervision.

“The winners of the 13th edition of the Women’s Cricket World Cup will receive a prize money of $4.48 million — a 239 percent increase from the $1.32 million awarded to Australia in 2022,” the ICC had announced. The runners-up will receive $2.24 million, which is an increase of 273 percent in comparison to the $600,000 which England won three years ago. The two losing semi-finalists will take home $1.12 million (up from $300,000 in 2022) each.

The 1997 World Cup saw a record number of 11 teams competing but, since 2000, the number of teams in the World Cup has been fixed at eight. Ten top teams compete in the Women’s championship in a three-year cycle, from where six top teams get a direct entry in the World Cup. It is followed by a qualifying round, from where two more teams get a ticket to the World Cup. 

In this edition, Australia, India, England, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka won direct entries. Pakistan and Bangladesh got World Cup tickets from the Qualifiers held in Pakistan, while the West Indies missed out.

There are several stars to watch out for in this edition. From Alyssa Healey to Beth Mooney to Ellyse Perry to Ash Gardner, Australia has a galaxy of stars. India’s home advantage and the all-round skill of their players also make them one of the favourites. Smitri Mandhana has recently risen to the world number one batter and India has the best spinners, led by Deepti Sharma.

Meanwhile, South Africa is a fast-rising team, with their captain Laura Wolvaardt a star batter. Sri Lanka relies heavily on Chamari Athapaththu, who is an all-rounder of great skill.

Can Pakistan women match the high standards?

Due to the signed agreement mentioned earlier, Pakistan will play all its matches in Colombo. However, Pakistan’s record in women’s ODI World Cups isn’t encouraging.

Lacking a women’s cricket set up at the time, Pakistan did not participate in the first five World Cup tournaments. But when they did for the first time in 1997, it ended on an ignominious note, as two teams landed in India, each claiming to be genuine. The one led by Shaiza Khan finished 11th and last.

The next two events in 2000 and 2005 did not see a Pakistan women’s team. When Pakistan women featured in the 2009 event in Australia, they achieved their best result so far, as they stood fifth. Pakistan women beat Sri Lanka to reach the Super Six stage and then upstaged the West Indies. Since then, their achievements have not been mentionable, as Pakistan women have finished 8th (bottom of the rung) in the last three events, 2013, 2017 and 2022. Overall, Pakistan women’s record shows 30 World Cup matches with just three wins and 27 defeats.

So, can they be competitive enough in the 2025 version?

Skipper Fatima Sana has high hopes. “Personally, it is an honour and a humbling experience to lead Pakistan in an ODI World Cup for the first time,” Sana wrote in her column for the ICC this month. “We respect every opposition we face, but we also believe in the hard work we’ve put in. My hope is that our performances not only bring joy to our fans but also inspire.”

The writer is a senior cricket analyst.
X: @hashmi_shahid

Published in Dawn, EOS, September 28th, 2025