Pakistan’s U-19 women’s team depart for T20 U-19 World Cup

KARACHI: The Pakistan Under-19 (U-19) Women’s cricket team officially departed for Malaysia via Dubai as they prepare to compete in the 2025 ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup.

The team is set to arrive in Malaysia on Saturday afternoon, where they will participate in the tournament scheduled from January 18 till February 2.

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The tournament marks a huge milestone for the women’s cricket in the country. The Pakistan team will be captained by wicket keeper-batter, Komal Khan.

The captain expressed her excitement and confidence in the team’s preparations. Under her captaincy, the U-19 squad aims to perform well in the world cup.

Pakistan has been placed in Group B along England, Ireland, and the United States. The group stage matches will be critical for the team’s progression in the tournament.

Pakistan’s first match is scheduled against the US on January 18, followed by a more challenging encounter against England on January 20.

The team will conclude their group stage matches with a game against Ireland on January 22.

Captain Komal Khan detailed the rigorous training the team underwent in preparation for the world cup. “We have trained hard under the supervision of our coaches, and the players are determined to perform well”, she stated.

The 2025 ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup will feature 16 teams in a limited-overs format. The world cup will include a group phase, followed by the Super 6s and knockout rounds, culminating in a total of 41 matches.

Indian will defend their title as the reigning champions from the last tournament.

Teams qualified for the world cup based on their performance in the 2023 Under-19 World Cup, with the top ten full member nations securing direct entry, alongside regional qualifiers.

As the hose nation, Malaysia automatically qualified, while Samoi and the US also earned their spots through regional competitions.  

Other participating teams include Australia,  Bangladesh, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.

The teams have been divided into four groups of four, with the top three from each group moving on to the Super 6 stage.

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Points accumulated in the group stage will carry over into the Super 6s, leading to the semi-finals and the final match on February 2. Warmup games are scheduled from January 13 till January 15.