Pakistan, Lanka qualify for Women�s World Cup

 Sri Lanka and Pakistan won its vital cross-over matches today in the ICC Women?s World Cup Qualifier 2011 (WWCQ) in Bangladesh capital Dhaka and by virtue of this victory they have qualified for the ICC Women?s World Cup 2013.
The two sides will join West Indies and South Africa at the event in 2013 which also features current world champions England, along with Australia, India and New Zealand.
Pakistan and South Africa have also qualified for the ICC Women?s World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012 by finishing in the top four of the event. West Indies and Sri Lanka are already qualified for the tournament which will be played in September next year.
At Khanshaheb Osman Ali Stadium (KSOAS), Sana Mir?s Pakistan made sure runs went on the board to make it a tough task for Helmien Rambaldo?s side when it came to chasing down the target.
The Dutch were set a mammoth total of 278 after Sana, along with Bismah Maroof, Nida Dar and Javeria Wadood piled on the runs for the Pakistanis to help them on their way to qualification for the ICC Women?s World Cup 2013.
Javeria?s 67 along with Nida?s half-century were helped by in-form all-rounder Bismah who finished the game 66 not out as the side displayed some masterstrokes against the Dutch pace and spin attack.
In reply, The Netherlands were once again undone by spin, with Bismah and Nida combining to take three wickets each while Sadia Yousuf claimed two wickets also. Qanita Jalil?s pace took the early wickets of Rambaldo and Miranda Veringmeier and the Dutch batting line-up collapsed for 84, with only Denise Hannema and Kerry-Anne Tomlinson managing double figures.
Pakistani captain Sana was delighted on qualifying for an ICC Women?s World Cup, saying: ?It feels great to qualify again for the ICC Women?s World Cup again, I have to say though the competition has been much tougher this time round. We were in a group with the likes of Bangladesh, Ireland and West Indies all of whom have proven a tough opposition,? she added.
?Today?s performance was great and we wanted to make at least 250 and we did that, with three of the team making half-centuries too. There was some good bowling which was really tight, the only thing I would like to improve upon ahead of our match against South Africa is the amount of extras that we bowled,? jubilant Sana claimed.
Sana added that qualification for the 2013 event would mean even greater things for women?s cricket in Pakistan: ?After we won gold at the Asian Games recently, women?s cricket has really taken off in the media in Pakistan and increased in popularity.
?With our qualification for the ICC Women?s World Cup and the ICC Women?s World Twenty20 it means two more years of competitive women?s cricket for Pakistan which is great, it will mean the Pakistan Cricket Board can plan further about the women?s game and develop women?s cricket even more than it already has done,? she concluded.
Rambaldo was disappointed to miss out on World Cup qualification but admitted it was now about learning from the past mistakes and focussing on the ODI play-off against Ireland with the victor retaining its ODI status.
Rambaldo said: ?It?s obviously extremely disappointing to have missed out again on an ICC Women?s World Cup qualification but we?ve now got to focus on the game against Ireland.?