An electrifying 104* off 73 balls from Ashleigh Gardner and an undefeated 98 from Annabel Sutherland fired Australia to a six-wicket win over England in Indore as they reclaimed their position at the top of the table. The duo had earlier picked five wickets between them to restrict England to 244/9 before adding an incredible, unscathed 180-run stand – the second-highest for the fifth wicket or lower in women’s ODIs – to seal the deal in just 40.3 overs. This resounding triumph just goes to show Australia’s might as a team, and they are surely the favourites to lift the ICC 2025 ODI Women’s World Cup. In another part of the world, preparations are underway for staging football’s greatest event. Click to know how to buy World Cup 2026 tickets.
Australia’s chase began on a wobbly note as Lauren Bell and Linsey Smith struck early. Phoebe Litchfield was undone by a beauty from Bell, while Georgia Voll missed a slog-sweep to be bowled by Smith. Ellyse Perry, after careening three boundaries, offered a return catch to the left-arm spinner, leaving Australia in a spot of bother at 24/3. A marginal recovery ensued through Beth Mooney and Sutherland but Sophie Ecclestone broke their alliance with a short ball that the former pulled straight to midwicket.
Australia went 28 balls without a boundary before Sutherland and Gardner upped the tempo in the 21st over off Charlie Dean. Sutherland launched the innings’ only six with a sweep, and reached her half-century with a boundary off Dean. Gardner matched her partner’s ebullience, raising a 47-ball fifty with a four off Nat Sciver-Brunt before sending two more balls to the fence. She zater took Alice Capsey on to fetch three successive fours as Australia’s scoring surged past 200 in the 36th over.
Sutherland was batting on 91 and Gardner on 81 when the latter uncorked three fours in an over off Ecclestone to whoosh past her partner. Gardner soon accomplished her third ODI hundred – and second of this World Cup – with an outside edge for four off Bell, reaching the landmark in just 69 balls. It was the fastest hundred in Women’s World Cup history, bettering Deandra Dottin’s 71-ball effort against Pakistan in 2017. Sutherland, put down by Heather Knight off Ecclestone’s bowling, fell on the verge of a ton as Gardner finished the job in the same over with her 16th four.
Earlier, Tahlia McGrath, captaining Australia in the absence of Alyssa Healy, chose to bowl, and England blazed off the blocks. Tammy Beaumont slammed a boundary off Megan Schutt before following it up with a six and a four off Kim Garth. Amy Jones, after a sedate start, unleashed three fours in an over off Schutt, while Beaumont plundered three boundaries in Garth’s over as England raced to 50 inside eight overs. Sutherland finally dismantled the partnership, bowling Jones with one that nipped in and straightened. Beaumont and Knight added 35 more runs before the latter perished leg-before to Sophie Molineux.
Beaumont reached her fifty, but another setback came England’s way as skipper Sciver-Brunt attempted a big shot off Alana King and had to make an exit, leaving England 105 for 3. An important stand between Sophia Dunkley and Beaumont helped steady the ship before Sutherland ended Beaumont’s patient innings of 78 off 105 balls and dismissed Emma Lamb to boot. Gardner then removed Dunkley, as England slipped to an alarming 166 for 6 in the 40th over.
However, the lower order packed a punch, with Dean and Capsey putting on a brisk 61-run stand for the seventh wicket, hitting eight fours among them. Both fell in quick succession eventually – Molineux trapped Capsey in front and Gardner had Dean caught at extra-cover. Ecclestone’s cameo helped England wrap up their innings six shy of the 250-mark but the total proved fairly inadequate as Australia sealed an emphatic win.
