SAW  – 246-10 (45.3)

Player of the Match – Shafali Verma

Player of the Tournament – Deepti Sharma

The ICC Women’s World Cup final was held on Sunday, November 2, at DY Patil, Navi Mumbai.

South Africa won the toss and opted to bowl first. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma opened for India. Shafali Verma, who was a replacement for Pratika, got a call to play the semi-final and final for India, and she grabbed this opportunity with both hands. She got out early in the semi-final, but she showed her flair from the first ball by hitting a four in the finals.

Both openers put up a 104-run opening partnership. Smriti got caught behind the wicket in Chloe Tryon’s over. Shafali continued her batting very well. She maintained the run rate. Shafali scored 87 runs in 78 balls and got out on Ayabonga Khaka’s ball. Khaka again took the wicket of the last match hero, Rodrigues. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur got bowled out by Mlaba.

India was losing wickets from time to time. Management sent Amanjot Kaur to up the order to stabilise and wants to set the stage for Richa Ghosh. But Amanjiot got caught and bowled by de Klerk. Richa Ghosh hit a six over cover on her second ball. Richa played a really good knock in the finals and got out on Ayabonga Khaka’s last ball. Richa scored 34 runs in 24 balls. Deepti Sharma scored 58 runs. India posted a total of 298 runs. It was a decent total.

Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits opened for South Africa. Both were playing well, but Tazmin got run out in the 10th over. Shree Charani got Anneke Bosch on a duck. Laura and Sune Luus built a partnership and maintained the run rate. Shafali, who performed with the bat, also took the wicket of Sune Luus in her first over. Shafali struck again and took the wicket of Marizanne Kapp. Deepti took the wicket of Sinalo Jafta. Laura was fighting from one end. Annerie Dercksen gave support to Laura, but it ended soon with Deepti’s over. Laura hit a century in the semis and finals. 

Deepti took the wicket of Laura and the hope of South Africa. South Africa got all out on 246 runs. Deepti took a 5-wicket haul in the final and scored 58 runs.

INDW – 341-5 (48.3)

Player of the Match – Jemimah Rodrigues

2nd semi-final match between India Women vs Australia Women on 30 October, at DY Patil, Navi Mumbai.

Australian Women won the toss and opted to bat first. Alyssa Healy and Phoebe Litchfield opened for Australia. Litchfield looked in good touch. Healy got out early on Kranti Goud’s ball.

Ellyse Perry and Litchfield built a 155-run partnership. Amanjot Kaur bowled out Litchfield. Litchfield scored 119 runs in just 93 balls.

Australia had a strong hold on the game. Shree Charani bowled some good overs and got a wicket in her 7th over of Beth Mooney.  Shree got the 2nd wicket in her next over of Annabel Sutherland. Radha Yadav bowled out Ellyse Perry. Perry scored 77 runs. Tahlia McGrath got run out. India was back in the game, but Ashleigh Gardner once again changed the game in favour of Australia. Ashleigh also got run out after hitting back-to-back sixes to Radha Yadav in the 49th over. 

Deepti Sharma bowled the final over of the innings. Deepti took 2 wickets, and there was a runout by Amanjot in the final over. India pulls back the game. Australia was once looking for a total of 380+, all out on 338. 

India had momentum. Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana opened for India. Shafali hit 2 fours and got out in the 2nd over on Kim Garth’s ball. Smriti and Jemimah built a partnership, and both looked so good while batting. Smriti got out in the 9th over of Kim Garth’s over, but Smriti did not look satisfied with the decision to be caught behind. 

Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah both scored runs and maintained the required run rate. Healy dropped an easy catch of Jemimah, the first time Australia looked under pressure. Annabel Sutherland took Kaur’s wicket. Kaur scored 89 runs. Deepti Sharma scored 24 runs and was batting with positive intent, but got run out.

Sutherland dropped an easy catch of Jemimah; Jemi got a 2nd life in the match. Richa scored quick runs and got out on Sutherland’s ball. Richa scored 26 runs in 16 balls. Amanjot scored the winning runs. Jemimah Rodrigues scored 127 runs in 134 balls. Jemimah not only scored runs but also held the pressure of a knockout match.  

NZW  – 271-8 (44)

Player of the Match – Smriti Mandhana

The India women vs New Zealand women game was a knockout game for New Zealand and also important for India to qualify for the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025.

Indian women faced New Zealand women on Thursday, October 23, at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, in the ICC Women’s World Cup.

The New Zealand women’s team won the toss and opted to bowl first. It was an important game for India, and they played like it. Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal opened for India. They made an opening partnership of 212 runs, after Mandhana got out on Suzie Bates’s ball. Mandhana scored 109 runs in just 95 balls. 

Pratika Rawal scored her maiden World Cup hundred. Amelia Kerr took Pratika Rawal’s wicket. Pratika scored 122 runs in 134 balls. Before the rain, Jemimah Rodrigues scored her fifty. After the rain, India played one more over of Rosemary, and she took the Indian captain, Harman Preet Kaur. Richa Ghosh finished in her style with a four.

India posts a total of 340-3 in 49 overs. The revised DLS score for New Zealand was 325 in 44 overs. 

Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer opened for New Zealand. India took an early wicket in the second over, with Kranti Gaud dismissing Suzie Bates. Amelia Kerr and Georgia built a partnership, but Renuka broke it by taking the wicket of Plimmer. Renuka again struck, this time the New Zealand captain Sophie Devine. Sneh Rana took the wicket of Amelia, who scored 45 runs.

Brooke and Isabella gave a last hope to chase, but the score was out of range at that time. Brook scored 81 runs, and Isabella scored 65 runs. India won by 53 runs (DLS Method)

AUSW – 248-4 (40.3)

Player of the Match – Annabel Sutherland

Australia Women faced England Women on 22 October at Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore, in the ICC Women’s World Cup.

Australia Women won the toss and opted to bowl first. England’s batters gave a comfortable start, but in the 9th over, Annabel Sutherland bowled out Amy Jones. England was building another partnership, but on the Molineux ball, Heather Knight got Lbw. Tammy Beaumont scored runs from one side, but she didn’t get support from the other end. Alana King took the wicket of England’s Captain, Nat Sciver-Brunt.

Tammy Beaumont scored 78 runs, Alice Capsey 38 runs, and Charlie Dean 26 runs. Annabel Sutherland took 3 wickets, Sophie and Ashleigh took 2 each, and Alana King picked 1 wicket. England posts a total of 244-9 (50).

Australia’s start was terrible; they lost early wickets. Phoebe Litchfield was bowled on the third ball of the first over by Lauren Bell; her opening partner, Georgia Voll, was bowled out by Linsey Smith. Linsey struck again in the 6th over, Caught & Bowled Ellyse Perry. Australia: Building a partnership, but Sophie Ecclestone breaks the wicket of Beth Mooney.

Australia is one of the strongest teams in women’s cricket. They showed in this match why they are highly rated. They don’t take pressure. A team full of match winners. After the early wickets, Annabel Sutherland and Ashleigh Gardner chase the score with ease. Annabel scored 98 runs, and Ashleigh scored 104.

SAW – 125-0 (14.5)

Player of the Match – Laura Wolvaardt

South Africa Women faced Sri Lanka Women in the ICC Women’s World Cup at Colombo on Friday, October 17.

Another day, another match ruined by rain. It’s like a ritual in ICC events that some matches are affected by rain. 

Sri Lanka Women won the toss and opted to bat first. Sri Lanka started slow. But in the 7th over, Masabata Klaas bowled out Hasini Perera, and in the 10th over, Masabata took down the Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu.

After 12 overs, rain started, and the match was reduced to a 20-over game. A team that was playing for 50 overs suddenly gets to know that they have only 8 overs left. DLS score is not always accurate because if a player plays aggressively from the start, how can this be justified in the DLS method?

Vishmi Gunaratne, who got hurt in the first half, came back to the crease in the 15th over after Harshita’s wicket and scored 34 runs off 33 balls. Nonkululeko Mlaba took 3 wickets in the last over, Masabata Klaas picked 2 wickets and Nadine de Klerk picked 1 wicket.

The DLS target for South Africa was 121, and it was an easy target because of the rain. The outfield was wet, making it difficult to field and catch, especially for the spinners.

South Africa’s batting approach made it too easy. Laura Wolvaardt scored 60 runs off 47 balls and her opening partner Tazmin Brits scored 55 runs off 42 balls. It was an easy win for South Africa.

AUSW – 202-0 (24.5)

Player of the Match – Alana King

Bangladesh faced Australia at Visakhapatnam on Thursday, October 16. Bangladesh’s motive was to give a tough fight to Australia, but they ended up on the losing side.

Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bat first. Bangladesh showed some struggle at the start, but Megan Schutt ended the 9th over by taking Fargana Hoque’s wicket. Rubya Haider scored 44 runs and Sobhana Mostary remained not out on 66 runs. No other batter impressed with their batting.

Ashleigh, Annabel, Alana, and Georgia Wareham shared 2 wickets each. Megan Schutt picked up 1 wicket. Bangladesh ended their innings on 198, which wasn’t a good score against the Australian side.

Alyssa Healy, the Australian captain, did her job brilliantly. She scored her second century of this ICC Women’s World Cup, and her opening partner scored 84 not out.

Australia Women won by 10 wickets – a completely dominating victory over Bangladesh.

Alyssa Healy – Australian Captain : “Bangladesh faced Australia at Visakhapatnam on Thursday, October 16. Bangladesh’s motive was to give a tough fight to Australia but end up on the losing side.”

PAKW – 34-0 (6.4)

Pakistan Women faced England Women in the ICC Women’s World Cup at Colombo on 15 October.

Pakistan Women won the toss and opted to bowl first. Diana Baig picked the wicket of Tammy Beaumont in the second over. Both openers were sent to the dugout within the first three overs. Fatima Sana bowled out Amy Jones in the third over. Fatima Sana struck again, this time she bowled the English captain Nat Sciver-Brunt. In that same over, Fatima also dismissed the previous captain, Heather Knight.

Charlie Dean and Em Arlott added some runs towards the end. Overs were reduced to 31 due to rain at regular intervals. But 133 runs in 31 overs is not a good total for sure.

The revised DLS target for Pakistan was 113, which was less than 4 runs per over. Pakistan started very well — a comfortable start, knowing they could chase easily if they didn’t lose wickets. They were doing well, but rain interrupted them again.

Pakistan was so near yet so far. They knew they could create history, but the match was called off and the points were split between both teams.

3 games are remaining for India – against England, New Zealand, and Bangladesh. All these matches are crucial to keep their qualification hopes alive. Out of the three, two matches will be tough. If India wins all the remaining matches, they will qualify comfortably. Otherwise, qualification may come down to net run rate, which is not an ideal situation. If India wins only one match, their chances will depend on how other teams perform.

The Bangladesh match looks easier on paper and will be India’s last league game. If qualification comes down to NRR, India can capitalize on this match to boost their chances.

India will play against England on October 19, New Zealand on October 23, and their final match against Bangladesh on October 26.

AUSW – 331-7 (49)

Player of the match – Alyssa Heal

Australia Women defeated Indian Women in a record-breaking match at the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 in Visakhapatnam. It was a thrilling match where Australia chased  331 runs, now the most successful chase in women’s ODI history.

Batting first, India scored 330 runs. Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal played good knocks and helped India reach a strong total. The Indian team looked good after posting such a big score on the board.

But Australia started their chase strongly. Alyssa Healy became the star of the match with an outstanding 142 runs off 107 balls. She got good support from other batsmen in the middle. India tried to fight back with a few quick wickets, but Australia handled the pressure well.

The big difference came from Annabel Sutherland, who not only took 5 wickets while bowling but also contributed with the bat. Australia reached the target with a few balls remaining and won the match by three wickets.

It was a tough loss for India after putting up a strong fight. Australia once again showed why they are one of the strongest teams in women’s cricket.

South Africa won the toss and opted to field. India started with a boundary on the very first ball of the match off Marizanne Kapp. The start was solid — 55/1 after 10 overs — but wickets at regular intervals put India under pressure. At 26 overs, India was struggling at 102/6.

That’s when Richa Ghosh rose under pressure. Amanjot Kaur, who was struggling to rotate the strike, got out for 13 (44), but that didn’t affect Richa. Sneh Rana and Richa started attacking the bowlers, adding crucial runs in the final overs. Sneh got out in the 49th over, and Richa fell just short of a hundred after hitting a couple of boundaries in the last over. India was all out for 251 in 49.5 overs.

For South Africa, Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits opened the innings. Kranti Gaud picked up the wicket of Tazmin for 0, putting South Africa under early pressure. Quick wickets followed, and Laura stood firm in the middle, scoring a valuable 70 runs. At 142/6, India seemed to be in control.

But Nadine de Klerk had other plans. Her aggressive batting turned the game around as she smashed 84 runs off just 54 balls, with 8 fours and 5 sixes, guiding South Africa to victory in 48.5 overs. Chloe Tryon also contributed with a solid all-round performance, scoring 46 runs off 66 balls. Nadine de Klerk became player of the match.