LAHORE: Pakistan is set to host South Africa for three One-Day International (ODI) matches at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore from August 16 to 22 as part of their preparations for the 2025 Women’s World Cup.
This series marks a key phase in Pakistan’s build-up to the prestigious tournament, following a comprehensive schedule that includes further international fixtures, such as home games against Zimbabwe and a tri-series in Ireland with the West Indies.
The ODI series against South Africa will be followed by a series of crucial matches, with Pakistan set to travel to Sri Lanka to compete in their group-stage matches and potential knockout rounds, should they qualify. In addition to this, the team will play a three-match T20I series in Dublin in early August, rounding off the year’s international cricket schedule.
Looking ahead, Pakistan’s women’s team is planning a major build-up to the T20 World Cup, set to take place in England in June-July 2026. The preparations will include three ODIs and three T20Is against South Africa in February-March 2025, as well as three ODIs and three T20Is against Zimbabwe at home in April-May 2025, although the Zimbabwe series was reduced from five T20Is to three.
Pakistan will then take part in a triangular T20I series in Ireland involving the West Indies in May-June 2025, before heading to England for the World Cup.
On the domestic front, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced plans for a national T20 tournament for the women’s Under-19 team, scheduled from September 15 to October 6 this year in Karachi.
Top performers from the tournament will be invited to a three-week skills development camp, with further preparations leading up to the team’s tour of Bangladesh in December for a five-match T20 series.
In an effort to expand opportunities for women cricketers, the PCB is in discussions to introduce a departmental tournament for women’s cricket. This initiative, as described by Rafia Haider, the PCB’s head of women’s cricket, would slot into the domestic calendar alongside the women’s one-day tournament in Karachi from November 6 to 24.
Additionally, the women’s T20 tournament will be held in Karachi from March 24 to April 17, 2025, while an inter-university tournament is planned for October 2025, though details on venues and schedule are yet to be confirmed.
