UAE Squad for ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025 Announced, Esha Oza to Lead

The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) has announced the United Arab Emirates women’s squad for the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025. The upcoming fixture is scheduled to take place in Bangkok, Thailand, next month.

Esha Oza, the Indian born all-rounder who plays for the UAE team, will continue to lead the team. She stands at number two to have the most runs (158) in an innings in Women’s T20 Internationals and also became the third fastest woman to reach 1000 runs in 31 innings, in WT20Is. She excels in both batting and bowling, leading to the first woman with no ducks in her career.

Esha Currently stands tall as the captain of UAE women’s cricket team and has been crowned the ICC Women’s Associate Cricketer of the Year 2024. Well, the all-rounder is scripting records for herself with her impactful batting and bowling abilities.

In their most recent outing, UAE wrapped up a successful campaign in the Namibia Women’s T20I Tri-Series 2024, finishing at the top of the table with 10 points. They emerged as the table toppers and champions of the tri-series, winning five out of six matches against Namibia and Zimbabwe.

While UAE’s batting line up was anchored by a stellar unbeaten knock from wicketkeeper-batter Theertha Satish, who scored 81 runs off 54 balls, emerged as the tournament’s standout batter for UAE. On the bowling front, Vaishnave Mahesh led the attack with precision, claiming 8 wickets across the series.

Prior to the qualifier, the UAE team will participate in the Thailand International Quad Series. A preparatory tournament will be played featuring UAE, Thailand, Kuwait, and Hong Kong.

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The series is set to commence on 3rd May, with UAE facing Hong Kong on the opening day. The Esha led UAE team will take on Kuwait on 4th May and Thailand on 5th May.

The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier will commence from 9th May, featuring nine teams divided into three groups of three. Each team will play the other two teams in their group twice. The top teams from each of the three groups will advance to a three-team triangular tournament. The top two teams from this triangular tournament will finally advance and secure their spots in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier.

UAE is placed in Group B, alongside Malaysia and Qatar. Their schedule is as follows:

Match 1: 9 May – UAE vs Malaysia

Match 2: 10 May – UAE vs Qatar

Match 3: 13 May – UAE vs Malaysia

Match 4: 15 May – UAE vs Qatar

Building the momentum, the UAE Women’s team has made strategic changes to their squad for the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025. The squad can see the inclusion of Keziah Sabin and Lavanya Keny, talents aiming to bolster the team’s unit. Experienced players such as Theertha Satish, Vaishnave Mahesh, and Indhuja Nandakumar continue to be a part of the team, offering a mix of talents.

Squad:

Esha Oza (C), Al-Maseera Jahangir, Athige Silva, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Keziah Sabin, Lavanya Keny, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (WK), Udeni Dona and Vaishnave Mahesh

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