Fatima Sana delivered a remarkable all-round performance, complemented by a strong bowling effort, leading Pakistan Women to a decisive 67-run victory over Thailand at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Thursday. This win secured Pakistan’s place in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025.

As captain, Fatima Sana played a pivotal role, scoring an unbeaten 62 runs with the bat and taking three wickets with the ball. This victory confirmed Pakistan’s qualification for the major event scheduled to take place later this year in India, making them the first team to qualify from a six-nation qualifier that included Bangladesh, West Indies, Ireland, Scotland, and Thailand.

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Batting first after winning the toss, Pakistan faced early struggles, losing wickets consistently. With the score at 85 for 4 in the 32nd over, Fatima joined experienced batswoman Sidra Amin. The pair formed a vital partnership of 97 runs, stabilizing the innings and setting up a competitive total.

Sidra, a consistent performer throughout the qualifiers, played a steady innings, scoring 80 runs off 105 balls with eight boundaries, helping anchor the innings as the top order struggled.

Fatima took advantage of several dropped catches by Thailand’s fielders, finishing with an unbeaten 62 off just 59 balls, including five fours and a six. Her aggressive batting contribution propelled Pakistan to a total of 205 for 6, a score that, while looking modest on paper, proved sufficient for victory.

Thailand’s bowling attack, especially Phannita Maya and Onnicha Kamchomphu, maintained a disciplined performance during the power-play, making early breakthroughs. Pakistan’s opener, Shawaal Zulfiqar, who played her first match of the tournament, was dismissed cheaply trying to counter Phannita’s tight bowling. Muneeba Ali also fell victim to Kamchomphu’s bowling.

Aliya Riaz’s unfortunate run-out, her second in consecutive matches, compounded Pakistan’s issues at the top, but the partnership between Sidra and Fatima revived the innings.

In reply to 206, Thailand began steadily, reaching 44 for 1 at one point. However, Fatima Sana’s introduction into the bowling attack shifted the momentum decisively in Pakistan’s favor as she dismissed opener Nattaya Boochatham for 16, breaking the backbone of Thailand’s batting order.

After that, Pakistan’s spin bowlers took over. Left-arm spinners Nashra Sandhu and Sadia Iqbal, along with off-spinner Rameen Shamim, dismantled Thailand’s middle and lower order. Rameen picked up three wickets to complement Fatima’s excellent performance, while Nashra and Sadia ensured Thailand struggled for stability throughout their innings.

Thailand was ultimately dismissed for 138 runs in 45.4 overs, falling short by 67 runs. Despite showing moments of resilience, their inexperience against quality spin was clear. Fatima finished with bowling figures of 3 for 29, earning herself the Player of the Match award.

Pakistan have now won all four of their matches in the tournament, heading into the final round with a perfect record. Their success in defending totals, combined with key performances from seasoned players, has been crucial.

Sidra Amin has now made three fifties in four innings, solidifying her role as a key player in Pakistan’s batting lineup. Fatima has emerged as a standout leader throughout this campaign with impactful contributions both with bat and ball.

Although fielding remains a concern—highlighted by six dropped catches that could have proven costly—Pakistan’s bowlers have consistently risen to the occasion during tricky moments.

Seeking to overcome a streak of inconsistency, the Rajasthan Royals are eager for a victory as they prepare to face the rejuvenated Lucknow Super Giants in an Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter in Jaipur this Saturday.

With three consecutive losses, the Royals currently sit in eighth place, having managed just two wins from their seven matches. As the IPL enters a critical mid-season juncture, they come into Saturday’s clash after a heart-wrenching Super Over defeat against the Delhi Capitals.

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The Royals’ campaign in IPL 2025 has been plagued by underperformance in both batting and bowling. Adding to their troubles, captain Sanju Samson sustained a side strain in the last match and had to leave the field, although he later reported feeling “alright.”

The batting lineup has been erratic this season, particularly the top order made up mostly of Indian batsmen, who have struggled to provide a solid foundation. This has resulted in increased pressure on the middle and lower order, which is primarily responsible for accelerating the scoring rate, as late-order batsmen find it challenging to stabilize the innings.

On a positive note, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal appears to have regained his form with consecutive half-centuries against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Delhi Capitals. It remains to be seen whether he can maintain this momentum in Saturday’s match. Similarly, Nitish Rana returned to form with a 51 against Delhi after scoring 81 against Chennai Super Kings last month, but he needs to establish consistency.

Samson has yet to deliver a standout innings, with his initial 66 against Sunrisers Hyderabad being his best performance to date. Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel also need to contribute significantly, as they have struggled to justify their selections thus far.

In terms of bowling, Jofra Archer and Sandeep Sharma have been the primary wicket-takers, while the rest of the attack has been largely ineffective.

On the other hand, the fifth-placed Lucknow Super Giants enter the Sawai Mansingh Stadium following a loss to Chennai Super Kings, but they are in a much stronger position overall, boasting four wins in their seven matches.

Nicholas Pooran has been a key player in their batting lineup, accumulating 357 runs in seven games, while Mitchell Marsh is also in excellent form with 295 runs in six matches. Pooran and Marsh currently rank first and third in the batting charts.

South African Aiden Markram has also been contributing runs, although there are concerns regarding David Miller’s form, as he has only managed a top score of 27 in seven matches. Captain Rishabh Pant showed signs of form with a score of 63 off 49 balls against CSK, marking his first fifty of this IPL season, albeit in a losing effort.

LSG’s bowling unit has effectively supported the batting, with Shardul Thakur and Avesh Khan leading the pace attack. Additionally, their spinners, Ravi Bishnoi and Digvesh Rathi, have been troubling batters in the middle overs.

A positive development for LSG is the return of express bowler Mayank Yadav, who has rejoined the squad after the last game. However, the team is still waiting for his fitness clearance from the Centre of Excellence, as he has been recovering from multiple injuries, including a lower back stress fracture.

Squads:

Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubham Dubey, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel (w), Shimron Hetmyer, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kunal Singh Rathore, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya, Kwena Maphaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Ashok Sharma, Vaibhav Suryavanshi.

Lucknow Super Giants: Rishabh Pant (c&wk), David Miller, Aiden Markram, Aryan Juyal (wk), Himmat Singh, Matthew Breetzke, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Mitchell Marsh, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Arshin Kulkarni, Ayush Badoni, Shardul Thakur, Avesh Khan, Akash Deep, Manimaran Siddharth, Digvesh Rathi, Akash Singh, Shamar Joseph, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi.

India has assembled a formidable youth boxing contingent of 56 athletes—30 in the U-15 category and 26 in the U-17 category—for the Asian U-15 & U-17 Boxing Championships taking place in Amman, Jordan, from April 17 to May 1. This event is the inaugural competition organized by Asian Boxing, supported by both the Olympic Council of Asia and the newly established World Boxing.

Key names in the U-17 boys’ team include Sahil Duhan and Devansh, who secured silver and bronze medals, respectively, at the 2024 Asian Junior Championship, along with Tikam Singh, who won gold at the SGFI 2024. For the girls, standout performers include Samiksha Singh, Anshika, and Khushi Chand, all of whom earned medals at the 2024 Asian School Boys & Girls Boxing Championships in Al Ain.

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The U-15 team boasts talented boxers such as Ravi Sihag, who won a bronze medal at the Asian School Boys Championship in Al Ain in 2024, and Trushna Mohite, the 2024 sub-junior national girls boxing champion in the 64-67 kg category.

The team, accompanied by their coaching staff and officials, departed for Amman on Thursday, with the preliminary rounds set to commence on Saturday.

Complete Squad:

Boys U-15: Yash Nikam (33 KG), Sanskar Vinod Atram (35 KG), Harsil (37 KG), Prikshit Balahra (40 KG), Hardik (43 KG), Khaidem Rudraksh Singh (46 KG), Sanchit Jayani (49 KG), Ravi Sihag (52 KG), Nelson Khwairakpam (55 KG), Naman Saini (58 KG), Abhijeet (61 KG), Lakshay Phogat (64 KG), Arpit Bishnoi (67 KG), Parth (70 KG), Yamanveer Jawandha (+70 KG)

Girls U-15: Komal (33 KG), Khushi (35 KG), Tamanna (37 KG), Svi (40 KG), Milky Meinam (43 KG), Yanshika (46 KG), S Linthoi Chanu (49 KG), Princi (52 KG), Samrudhhi Satish Shinde (55 KG), Navya (58 KG), Sunaina (61 KG), Kanishka Kumari Gorai (64 KG), Trushana Vinayak Mohite (67 KG), Manshi Malik (70 KG), Vanshika (+70 KG)

Boys U-17: Kharb Dhruv (46 KG), Lairenlakpam Ambekar Meetei (48 KG), Dev Aman (50 KG), Singh Tikam (52 KG), Raghav Udham Singh (54 KG), Gariya Rahul (57 KG), Sahil (60 KG), Siwach Aman (63 KG), Deshmukh Anant Gaurishankar (66 KG), Khasa Anshul (70 KG), Sehrawat Priyansh (75 KG), Devansh (80 KG), Gulia Loven (+80 KG)

Girls U-17: Khushi (44–46 KG), Jiya (46–48 KG), Ahaana Sharma (48–50 KG), Samiksha Singh (50–52 KG), Jannat (52–54 KG), L Radhamani (54–57 KG), Simranjeet Kaur (57–60 KG), Harsika (60–63 KG), Prachi (63–66 KG), Himanshi (66–70 KG), Sanvi (70–75 KG), Prachi Khatri (75–80 KG), Anshika (80–80+ KG)