UAE Women’s Cricket Team Secures ODI Status, Replacing USA

DUBAI: In a noteworthy development for international women’s cricket, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) women’s team has officially attained One Day International (ODI) status for the period spanning 2025–2029, taking the place of the United States of America (USA).

The revised roster of 16 women’s teams recognized with ICC ODI status will be effective from May 12. This compilation features five associate nations: Thailand, the Netherlands, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Scotland, and the UAE.

The UAE secured its position as the next highest-ranked associate nation according to the ICC Women’s T20I rankings, currently holding the 16th spot.

The USA women’s team is presently touring Zimbabwe, where they experienced a 2-1 defeat in the T20I series. However, they demonstrated resilience by securing a seven-wicket victory in the inaugural match of the ODI series. The series’s final match is scheduled for today.

To either maintain or acquire ODI status, associate teams are required to participate in a minimum of eight ODIs throughout a three to four-year cycle.

Thailand and Scotland guaranteed their status through participation in the recent Women’s ODI World Cup Qualifiers held in Pakistan.

Scotland made a strong impression by defeating higher-ranked teams such as the West Indies and Thailand, ultimately finishing fourth among the six participating teams.

Conversely, Thailand faced challenges throughout the tournament, concluding in last place after suffering defeats in all five of their matches.

Additionally, PNG and the Netherlands successfully retained their ODI status based on their T20I rankings, holding the 13th and 15th positions, respectively, without needing to participate in the qualifiers.

Pakistan and Bangladesh have successfully qualified for the forthcoming ICC Women’s ODI World Cup in India.

Notably, Australia continues to lead the ODI rankings with a substantial 299 rating points, thereby extending their advantage over second-placed England, which holds 279 points.