SIX OF THE BEST FOR THAILAND AS THEY WIN WOMEN’S T20 GOLD AT SEA GAMES 2025
December 19, 2025
THAILAND START WELL IN GLOBAL QUALIFIER
January 18, 2026
THAILAND LOOK TO REACH THE ICC WOMEN’S T20 WORLD CUP FOR THE SECOND TIME
Thailand are looking to follow a fantastic end to 2025 when they triumphed in the ICC Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy and won double gold medals in the women’s cricket competitions in the SEA Games by qualifying for their second T20 World Cup as they take part in the global qualifier in Nepal which starts on 18th January 2026.
Ten teams are competing for four places for the next ICC Women’s T20 World Cup which will be played in England next summer. The four highest ranked teams in the competition are Ireland, Bangladesh, Scotland and Thailand so the Thai girls have a good chance to make the top four.
The competing teams are divided into two groups with Bangladesh, Ireland, Namibia, Papua New Guinea and USA in Group A and Nepal, Netherlands, Scotland, Thailand and Zimbabwe in Group B.
The first stage of the competition will see each team play the other four teams in their group and the top three teams in each group will qualify for the Super Six stage. Thailand have beaten the four other teams in Group B, including Scotland as they won the ICC Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy on a gripping final day.
In the Super Six stage the three teams from Group A will play the three teams from Group B so Thailand are likely to face Bangladesh and Ireland if they qualify with Papua New Guinea another improving team.
Thailand will have to find replacements for Nattaya Boochatham and Rosanee Kanoh who both retired after winning their SEA Games gold medals with Aphisara Suwanchonrathi and Suwanan Khiaoto the likely candidates. Thailand have already played two warm-up matches in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal when they beat Namibia by seven wickets in the first match and then lost to Bangladesh but wicket-keeper Nannapat Khoncharoenkai scored an unbeaten fifty in a total of 115 for 7.
It should be an exciting competition with eight of the teams in the top 20 of the world T20 team rankings taking part with hosts Nepal ranked at 21st and USA outsiders at 25th but USA have already beaten Scotland in a warm-up match.
Thailand should be looking to win a place in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup for the second time after playing in the 2020 World Cup held in Australia. To do that the Thai girls just need to finish in the top four of the Super Six table when the competition ends on 1st February.
