DUBAI (Kashmir English): The International Cricket Council (ICC) has officially granted United Arab Emirates (UAE) women’s cricket team One Day International (ODI) status taking the total number of women’s teams with ODI status to 16.
The move comes as the Council confirmed five associate nations in the 2025–2029 women’s ODI cycle.
Alongside the United Arab Emirates, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Thailand, Netherlands, and Scotland have also been awarded or retained ODI status.
The Saturday’s decision marks a significant moment for global women’s cricket, especially among emerging teams.
The UAE won their status following the latest annual ICC rankings update, where they ranked 16th in the Women’s T20I rankings, overtaking the United States of America.
The USA lost their ODI status ahead of the new cycle for having failed to meet the necessary criteria.
Criteria for ODI ranking
Per ICC regulations, teams must play at least eight ODIs during the three- to four-year period to gain or maintain their ODI ranking.
The UAE’s recent performances not only reflected consistency but also underlined their growing presence in international women’s cricket.
Meanwhile, Scotland and Thailand earned their ODI status after competing in the 2026 ODI World Cup Qualifiers recently held in Pakistan.
PNG and the Netherlands retained their ODI credentials based on their standing in the ICC T20I rankings, with PNG at 13th and the Netherlands at 15th.