DUBAI: Pakistan women’s cricket team have qualified for the next year’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup credit to being the highest-ranked team outside of six direct qualifiers and the host. 

International Cricket Council named the eight automatic qualifiers for the next edition of the Women’s T20I megaevent on Tuesday as per the qualification process.

Australia, New Zealand and South Africa booked direct qualifications for being the top three teams of Group 1 in the league stage of the recently-concluded ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa. Similarly, England, India and the West Indies make it from Group 2.

Bangladesh qualify as hosts of the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup while Pakistan earn qualification by virtue of being the next highest-ranked team in the team rankings as of 27 February 2023.

The remaining two spots of the 10-team tournament will be filled through a Global Qualifier to be held in early 2024. The dates and venues of this tournament will be announced later.

Sri Lanka and Ireland are the only participating teams from this year’s tournament which did not receive automatic qualification. Sri Lanka are currently ranked eighth in the rankings while Ireland are 10^th.

It is pertinent to mention here that Australia crowned the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup for the sixth time after beating South Africa in the final of the eighth edition of the tournament on Sunday.

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