Australia’s Dominance vs New Zealand’s Challenge
Australia enter the 2025 Women’s World Cup opener as the clear favourites, riding high on a series of strong performances. The world champions have won their last nine ODI series, only losing in the 2023 Ashes in England, and have maintained dominance both at home and overseas. Their frequent tours to India and experience in the WPL over the past three years have ensured their top players are well-acclimated to subcontinental conditions. They also warmed up for the tournament with a recent three-match ODI series in northern India, winning 2-1.
New Zealand, ranked fourth in ODIs, come into the tournament with a more mixed form. Their last ODI World Cup campaign in 2022 ended in disappointment as they finished sixth out of eight, including a crushing 141-run defeat against Australia in Wellington. Additionally, they haven’t played an ODI in six months.
However, recent history suggests past form does not always dictate World Cup outcomes. Last year, New Zealand entered the T20 World Cup having lost ten consecutive T20Is but went on to lift their first title in the UAE. With experienced players such as Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates, Lea Tahuhu, and Amelia Kerr returning, New Zealand will aim to defy expectations once more.
“𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒆’𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒕 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝑪𝒖𝒑𝒔, 𝒊𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓. 𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒔 𝒈𝒐 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒘 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒖𝒔,” 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝑵𝒆𝒘 𝒁𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝑺𝒐𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒆.
Key Players to Watch
Alyssa Healy returns to the ODI World Cup stage as Australia’s captain after Meg Lanning’s retirement. Her previous World Cup saw back-to-back centuries in the 2022 semifinals and final, helping Australia secure their seventh title. Though recovering from a long injury layoff, Healy will look to make an impact on the flat Indore track, where she faces New Zealand with a slightly lower strike rate than usual.
Sophie Devine will lead New Zealand in her final ODI series before focusing solely on T20Is. After a successful T20 World Cup campaign last year, Devine brings experience and form from the Hundred in England, along with years of exposure to Indian conditions dating back to 2007. Her all-round skills will be pivotal in challenging the dominant Australians.
On the Australian side, vice-captain Tahlia McGrath highlighted her versatility:
“𝑰 𝒋𝒐𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰’𝒎 𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒂 𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒔𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒐𝒘𝒍 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇𝒇. 𝑺𝒐 𝑰 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒅𝒂𝒑𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒗𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒖𝒊𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒕𝒔.”
Conditions and Probable Line-Ups
The Holkar Stadium in Indore will host its maiden women’s international match. The pitch is expected to be flat, offering a run-friendly surface. Despite humidity and partly cloudy conditions, temperatures are forecasted below 30°C.
Australia (probable): Alyssa Healy (capt & wk), Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Kim Garth, Alana King/Georgia Wareham, Megan Schutt.
New Zealand (probable): Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine (capt), Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Isabella Gaze (wk), Eden Carson, Jess Kerr, Flora Devonshire, Lea Tahuhu.
Australia have dominated recent encounters, winning the last 15 ODIs against New Zealand. Meanwhile, Suzie Bates edges closer to becoming the second woman to reach 6,000 ODI runs, trailing only Mithali Raj.
Also Read: Devine Urges New Zealand to Roar Against Australia in World Cup Opener
