On Saturday, October 25, Australia thumped South Africa by seven wickets in a one-sided contest at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2025, to finish off the league stage at the top of the points
table. At the Holkar Stadium in Indore, right-arm leg spinner Alana King picked up the best bowling figures (7-2-18-7) in tournament history, to help bowl out South Africa for just 97 runs before the Australian batting lineup chased the runs down in just 16.5 overs.
Earlier, South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt won the toss and decided to field first in overcast conditions with a slight chance of some rain in Indore. She got off to a flyer in the first powerplay stage, scoring 31 off just 26 balls with seven fours to her name in the 32-run opening stand with Tazmin Brits before getting dismissed on the bowling of Megan Schutt.
Shortly after, Kim Garth got the better of Tazmin Brits, trapping her lbw in front of the stumps for just six off 19 balls. From this point onwards, the entire innings belonged to Alana King, who picked up seven wickets in no time, starting with the big scalps of Sune Luus and Marizanne Kapp, with the latter not troubling the scorers at all.
Annerie Dercksen and Chloe Tryon were the next victims of King on back-to-back deliveries before she cleaned-up Sinalo Jafta, who had scored 29 off just 17 with seven fours and then Masabata Klaas met the same fate. Following the dismissal of Ayabonga Khaka on the bowling of Ashleigh Gardner, losing her stumps, King wrapped up the South African innings with the clean-up job of Nadine de Klerk for 14 off 23.
In pursuit of the 98-run target, Australia lost two early wickets of Phoebe Litchfield and Ellyse Perry, with the latter dismissed for no score, to find themselves in some trouble early on. But the experience of Beth Mooney at No. 4 alongside opener Georgia Voll showed as they shared a 76-run stand for the third wicket, to put Australia on the brink of their sixth win in seven matches in the league stage of the tournament with one match ending in a washout.
De Klerk dismissed Beth Mooney for 42 off 41 with six fours before Annabel Sutherland scored 10* off 4 to take Australia past the finishing line with Voll staying unbeaten at the other end on 38 off 38 with seven fours to her name. With this result, Australia are confirmed to face India in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 semi-final against co-hosts India while the other semi-final will happen between South Africa and England.
