This was her third hundred in WODIs.
Veteran Australian batter Beth Mooney etched her name into the history books by smashing the joint-second fastest hundred in Women’s ODI Cricket. She achieved an incredible feat during the third ODI against India at Arun Jaitely Stadium in Delhi on September 20. Meanwhile, Australia smashed the joint-sixth-highest total in women’s ODIs.
Mooney came out to bat No. 4 and took only 57 balls to reach the landmark. The southpaw batter reached the milestone with a four on the second ball of the 38th over, bowled by left-arm orthodox spinner Radha Yadav. Mooney’s explosive innings left the hosts reeling and exposed serious flaws ahead of the highly anticipated Women’s ODI World Cup 2025. It proved to be one of those days for Indian bowlers where no strategy worked for them.
Former Australia captain Meg Lanning holds the record for the second-fastest hundred in Women’s ODIs. She had achieved the landmark in just 45 balls against New Zealand in Sydney in December 2012. Mooney has now equalled former Australia batter Karen Rolton against South Africa in Lincoln in the list, followed by the Kiwi all-rounder Sophie Devine.
The 31-year-old’s carnage finally came to an end in the 45th over after she was found short of her crease, courtesy of a poor call from Tahila McGrath. But it seemed to be the only way India could dismiss her today, as she had answers to everything that was offered by India. She finished the innings with her best ODI score of 138 runs that came at an impressive strike rate of 184. Her 75-ball stay included 23 fours and a six.
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Opting to bat, the Australian openers were off to a fiery start in the series decider. Captain Alyssa Healy took charge against the Indian bowlers, scoring 30 runs off just 18 balls. Her knock included seven fours, that’s 28 runs in boundaries. Healy lost her wicket to Kranti Gaud, third time in the three-match series.
After Healy’s dismissal, Voll upped the ante as Australia crossed the 50-run mark in just the sixth over. She continued to play aggressively and raced to her half-century off just 43 balls. Once she got her eye in, Perry played an anchor role and found boundaries at regular intervals. Sneh Rana provided a much-needed breakthrough and completed her 50 wickets in WODIs, dismissing Voll for 80.
Mooney walked into the middle at number 4 and didn’t waste time getting going. She came set from the dugout and fired on all cylinders, bringing up her fifty off just 31 balls. The Aussie batter kept finding boundaries quite regularly, showcasing the range of shots she has in her arsenal. She prominently targeted the first 3 balls of an over. In the process, Mooney added 106 runs for the third wicket with legendary all-rounder Ellyse Perry (68). The southpaw eventually fell on 138, but not before doing all the damage.
Australia suffered a mini collapse in the last few overs, as they were bowled out for their joint highest score of 412. The Alyssa Healy-led side hit 60 fours and 5 sixes in 287 balls in their innings. That is nearly a boundary every 4 balls.
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