South Africa Women produced a dominant performance to defeat New Zealand Women by six wickets in Match 7 of the Women’s World Cup 2025 on Monday, October 7, at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. After being asked to field first, South Africa’s bowlers restricted New Zealand to 231 in 47.5 overs before their batters comfortably chased down the target in 40.5 overs.
Devine Leads from the Front Once Again
New Zealand captain Sophie Devine continued her fine run of form, scoring a fluent 85 off 98 deliveries that included nine boundaries. Her composed innings steadied New Zealand’s batting effort after early setbacks. She received valuable support from Brooke Halliday (45 off 37) and Georgia Plimmer (31 off 68), helping their side post a respectable total on the board.
For South Africa, left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba was the standout performer with the ball, claiming 4 for 40 to dismantle New Zealand’s middle order. Reflecting on her spell, Mlaba said,
“𝑰 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒃𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒑, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍.”
Brits and Luus Steer South Africa to Victory
Chasing 232, South Africa got off to a steady start before Tazmin Brits and Sune Luus took control of the innings. Brits was in sensational touch, smashing a breathtaking 101 off 89 balls, featuring 15 fours and a six. Her innings not only marked her fifth ODI century of the year but also set a record for the most hundreds by any player in 2025.
Luus played the perfect supporting role with an unbeaten 83 off 114 balls, stitching together a massive 159-run partnership for the second wicket with Brits. Their stand laid the platform for South Africa’s comfortable chase.
Brits, who was named Player of the Match, reflected on her innings, saying,
“𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒚 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚 𝒎𝒚 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆. 𝑳𝒖𝒖𝒔 𝒌𝒆𝒑𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒎 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒏𝒅, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒆 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒌𝒆.”
With this win, South Africa Women climbed to fifth place on the points table, while New Zealand remained winless at seventh. The victory also boosted South Africa’s confidence as they continue their push for a semifinal berth in the ongoing tournament.
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