Australia won by 89 runs.
The second match of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 was played between Australia and New Zealand in Indore. From glorious centuries to wicket-taking spells, the match had everything to offer. Eventually, the Trans-Tasman rivalry belonged to the Australians, as they clinched victory by 89 runs.
After winning the toss, Alyssa Healy elected to bat first. Her teammates did not let her down as they put up a mammoth 326 runs. It was their highest in the 50-over format against New Zealand. Ashleigh Gardner stole the show with the bat, with a brilliant 115 off 83 deliveries. Her innings comprised 16 boundaries and a solitary six.
With that big a target, the White Ferns had a horror start. Their skipper, Sophie Devine, who bats at No.4, was out in the middle in the second over of the innings. She went on to score a promising 112-ball 111. Though it wasn’t enough in the end, Devine led the batting line-up from the front.
Though Australia posted 326, they had their moments of surprise elements. While they were at 108/2, the Women in Yellow lost two quick wickets to find themselves at 113/4. Elysse Perry and Annabel Sutherland both walked back to the pavilion cheaply. That is when Ashleigh Gardner walked out to bat, and she pretty much took Indore by storm.
Her knock of 115 was also the first century in this edition of the World Cup. Gardner now has seven fifties and two hundreds in her ODI career, along with 104 wickets at an economy of 4.21.
Being reduced to 0/2 while chasing 327 is the last thing that a team would want. However, that’s exactly what New Zealand had on their platter. Georgia Plimmer and Suzie Bates were both back to the hut without troubling the scorers. A confusion in the middle sent Plimmer back after a run-out. In the next over, Bates was bowled by Sophie Molineux.
Australia played a trick by introducing spin early into the innings. With lacquer on the ball, it tended to skid. And this is where the Aussies got it right. They challenged the White Ferns to go big in the power play, and it did the trick.
Though the likes of Brooke Halliday, Amelia Kerr, and Maddy Green got starts, they were not able to convert them into big totals. Apart from Devine, who went on to script a sturdy century, the other batters could not get going. Going ahead, this is a problem that New Zealand will have to fix. Showing loopholes against spin early on in the tournament might cost them a few games.
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The difference between New Zealand losing by a mammoth margin and the way they did was skipper Sophie Devine. Known to be their best player against spin, she lived up to the expectations. The 36-year-old walked out to bat at 0/2 and stitched a good partnership along with Kerr. Despite wickets tumbling from the other end, she kept going.
With this knock, Devine found her way past 4,000 runs in Women’s ODIs. What stood out about Devine was the rate at which she scored. She registered her eighth hundred and scored at a healthy strike-rate of 99.10. Her innings comprised 12 boundaries and three sixes.
The third fixture of the WWC will be played between Bangladesh Women and Pakistan Women in Colombo.
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