The home side, Thailand, defeated Kuwait, and the game between Hong Kong and Nepal was abandoned without a ball being bowled, and United Arab Emirates thrashed Malaysia by 9 wickets in the 3rd game of the opening day of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025.
Bahrain, led by skipper Deepika Rasangika, were up against Nepal, led by skipper Indu Barma, in the 4th match of the tournament. Thailand, led by skipper Naruemol Chaiwai, were up against Bhutan, led by skipper Dechen Wangmo. UAE, led by skipper Esha Oza, will be up against Qatar, led by Ayesha, in the 6th match of the tournament.
Nepal thrashed Bahrain by 9 wickets in a short hit-out
The game was reduced to a five-over per side contest. The Bahrain skipper Deepika Rasangika led from the front with a quick-fire cameo (34* off 13 balls) as they posted a strong total of 41/1 in their quota of five overs, after the Nepal skipper Indu Barma won the toss and inserted them to bat first. Puja Mahato (2-0-13-1) and Kabita Kunwar (2-0-6-0) were impressive with the ball for Nepal.
Nepal chased down the total of 42 with 9 wickets in hand and four balls to spare. Kabita Kunwar (18 off 11 balls) and Samjhana Khadka (13* off 10 balls) chipped in with crucial contributions with the bat for Nepal. Kabita Kunwar was awarded the Player of the Match for her impressive contribution with the bat for her side.
Note: The 5th game between Thailand and Bhutan was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
Esha Oza’s all-round Pyrotechnics powers UAE to a massive tactical victory
In an unprecedented display of cricketing strategy and adaptability, the UAE women’s team delivered one of the sport’s most extraordinary scorecards during their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2035 clash against Qatar. With rain looming over the contest at Bangkok’s Terdthai Cricket Ground, the UAE masterminded a tactic never before seen in international T20 cricket: after racking up a commanding 192 for no loss in just 16 overs, thanks to Oza’s blistering 113 and opener Theertha Satish’s rapid 74, the UAE deliberately retired out all their batters.
This was a calculated move to circumvent the absence of a declaration rule in T20Is, ensuring a DLS, advantaged position should rain intervene. Every UAE batter after Oza and Satish quickly registered retired outs, leading to a surreal scorecard featuring 10 retired outs and 8 ducks, the latter tying for the second-most ever in women’s T20Is. This innovative decision also resulted in the first-ever instance in international T20I history where all wickets were retired out.
The match itself was further marked by records, as Qatar’s reply crumbled for just 29, featuring another 7 ducks, culminating in a game tally of 15 ducks. The emphatic 163-run victory secured UAE’s progression to the next qualifying round, keeping their World Cup dreams alive and setting a new benchmark for tactical ingenuity in women’s cricket.
Michelle Botha (4-0-11-3), Katie Thompson (3-1-6-2), Indhuja Nandakumar (1-1-0-1), and skipper Esha Oza (1-0-1-1) were exceptional with the ball for the United Arab Emirates. Skipper Esha Oza was awarded the Player of the Match for her decisive impact with the bat, scoring her 4th T20I century (113 off 55 balls) with the bat and returning with match figures (1-0-1-1) with the ball for her side, playing a pivotal role in helping UAE seal a thrashing victory.
