Cricket can pull all sorts of surprises on the field, even in big 2025. On an unusual Saturday showdown in Bangkok, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) women used all of their cricketing smarts to tackle the conditions at the Terdthai Cricket Ground and record a stunning 163-run victory over Qatar in an ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 Asia Region qualifiers.
With the nine-team tournament slotting three countries in each group, UAE needed to win the clash against Qatar to proceed to the Super 3 stage of the contest after having downed Malaysia the previous day. However, with a rain threat on the forecast, the UAE pulled out a remarkably unique and unprecedented tactic to set up the win.
The UAE women, led by captain Esha Oza, batted only for 16 overs, after which the team collectively decided they had enough on board to topple the lingering rain clouds and the opposition to register a win that would assure qualification. Powered by Oza’s 55-ball 113 laced with 14 fours and five sixes and fellow opener Theertha Satish’s 42-ball 74, UAE had piled on 192 for no loss at the end of 16 overs, after which each batter bizarrely decided to retire out as the T20I format prevented an innings declaration as available in Test cricket.
While Oza and Satish were the first to depart, every incoming batter quickly charged in to mark their retired out dismissals, totalling eight ducks at the fall of the 10th wicket. The bizarre finish marked the first instance in international T20Is, where all 10 batters were adjudged retired out, with the eight ducks being the joint-second most in all women’s T20Is.
Having set up ample time to counter the rain threat, the UAE then crushed Qatar, inflicting a massive 163-run defeat after bundling them out for a paltry 29 in 11.1 overs. Incidentally, the Qatar innings also bore seven ducks as each of the six bowlers used by Oza, including herself, chipped in with at least one wicket.
The 15 ducks registered in the match is easily the most ever in a women’s T20I match.
The win propelled UAE to an unassailable lead of four points in the three-team group, which means they will take on the winners from the other two groups in the next round. The teams will featured in another three-team round-robin stage, following which the finalists will qualify for the 2026 edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup, slated to be held in England.
