Australia started their ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 (CWC25) campaign with a strong performance against New Zealand. They won by a big margin of 89 runs. The match took place at the famous Holkar Stadium in Indore. This game set the tone for the tournament. It showed Australia’s strength as champions and gave fans a thrilling start to CWC25. The match quickly became an early contender for the tournament’s best game.
Australia’s Commanding Start: Building a Title Defense
Stepping out as the defending champions, Australia faced high expectations and delivered in style. In their first game of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, Australia scored a strong total of 326 runs in the first innings. Ashleigh Gardner played a key role by scoring a brilliant century. Her 115 runs came off 83 balls, including 16 fours and a six. Gardner’s knock helped stabilize the innings when wickets were falling. She pushed Australia past the important 300-run mark. This was her second ODI century and set a positive tone for Australia’s title defense.
Australia’s innings wasn’t devoid of drama. New Zealand’s pace bowler Leah Tahuhu took three important wickets. She shook Australia’s top order, leaving them at 128 for 5 at one point. Melie Kerr then added two more wickets. Kerr’s 100th ODI wicket was a special milestone, making her the third New Zealand woman to reach it. Despite these challenges, Ashleigh Gardner showed great resilience. She formed a vital partnership with Tahlia McGrath. Together, they pushed Australia to a strong total. This showed the depth and toughness of the defending champions.
New Zealand’s Chase: Sophie Devine’s Lone Battle
Chasing 327 on a lively Indore pitch, New Zealand encountered immediate trouble, losing two wickets in the opening overs, including star batters Georgie Plimmer and Suzie Bates without scoring. The pressure intensified as wickets continued to tumble, but captain Sophie Devine stood tall, orchestrating a counterattack against the odds. Her valiant 112 from 112 balls, studded with 12 boundaries and three sixes, offered the White Ferns hope and kept fans on the edge of their seats.
Devine’s innings was a masterclass in composure and aggression, resisting Australia’s varied bowling attack while wickets fell around her. New Zealand’s batting lineup, however, struggled to build substantial partnerships, with frequent mix-ups and run outs further derailing their momentum. Maddy Green’s run out added to their woes soon after Amelia Kerr and Brooke Halliday had been dismissed in quick succession, breaking key stands and leaving Devine bereft of support.
Despite Devine’s brilliance, the White Ferns were unable to mount a concerted challenge once she was dismissed. Australia’s bowlers, led by the incisive spells of Sophie Molineux (3/25) and Annabel Sutherland (3/26), wrapped up the innings efficiently. Sutherland’s memorable over, where she removed Devine, Jess Kerr, and Eden Carson, proved decisive, snuffing out New Zealand’s final hopes and ensuring Australia started CWC25 with an unbeatable statement.
Bowling Brilliance: Molineux, Sutherland, and King Shine
The Australian bowling unit demonstrated their class throughout New Zealand’s chase. Sophie Molineux combined discipline and aggression to claim three wickets, frustrating the middle order and keeping the run rate in check. Annabel Sutherland’s impact was equally crucial, her three wickets coming at vital moments and including the prized scalp of Devine. Alana King’s tidy two-wicket haul further cemented Australia’s dominance, as she broke key partnerships and maintained scoreboard pressure.
These collective bowling efforts reminded the cricketing world of Australia’s strategic depth and their ability to strike at opportune moments. Each bowler executed their role with clinical precision, ensuring New Zealand were never allowed a sustained period of momentum, epitomizing the champion mindset prevalent in the squad.
Key Records and Milestones
The opening match threw up significant milestones and achievements. Melie Kerr’s 100th ODI wicket for New Zealand was a cause for celebration, even in defeat. She became only the third New Zealand woman cricketer to reach the mark, underlining her sustained excellence and crucial role in her side’s bowling strategy.
Ashleigh Gardner’s second ODI century was the first hundred of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025. Her aggressive batting under pressure showed her skill and maturity. This innings made her one of the most impactful players in modern women’s cricket. Her performance added to her growing reputation and boosted Australia’s campaign.
Australia’s Next Steps: Eyeing Sri Lanka in Colombo
With momentum firmly behind them, Australia set their sights on the next challenge, a clash with Sri Lanka in Colombo on October 4. The defending champions, packed with match-winners and brimming with confidence after their resounding victory, will aim to make it two wins in a row and cement their status as title favorites.
Australia’s performance against New Zealand will be a key reference. It highlighted their strengths in batting and bowling. The selectors gained a clear plan for success. Australia showed they can handle pressure well. They bounced back quickly from early setbacks. Their attacking style makes them strong opponents in CWC25.
New Zealand: Regroup and Fight for Revival
For the White Ferns, the task is clear—regroup and recover as they prepare to face South Africa at the Holkar Stadium on October 6. Lessons from their defeat to Australia center around building resilient partnerships, avoiding run outs, and leveraging individual brilliance like Devine’s knock to structure a more sustained challenge.
New Zealand’s squad retains plenty of talent and experience and will look to rediscover their rhythm in the next round of matches. Leadership, application, and a focus on minimizing errors will be central to their hopes of making a deep run in CWC25
