Ashleigh Gardner brought up a 77-ball century in her game-changing innings.
Australia bounced back from a shaky 128 for 5 to set a formidable target of 326, ultimately defeating New Zealand by 89 runs. Despite a valiant century from Sophie Devine, New Zealand could only reach 237.
Australia 326 (Gardner 115, Litchfield 45, Tahuhu 3-42) beat New Zealand 237 (Devine 111, Molineux 3-25, Sutherland 3-26) by 89 runs.
The Women`s World Cup clash between Australia and New Zealand in Indore featured two remarkable centuries, but it was Ashleigh Gardner`s performance that secured victory for the defending champions. Her match-winning knock overshadowed Sophie Devine`s valiant effort, as Australia commenced their campaign with an 89-run triumph.
Gardner`s explosive 115 runs off just 83 deliveries, including a 77-ball century, was crucial for Australia. She steered her team from a struggling 128 for 5 to a formidable total of 326. This monumental score demanded a record-breaking chase from New Zealand, exceeding the highest-ever 302 runs successfully chased in women`s ODIs. Despite Sophie Devine`s exceptional 111 runs, her ninth ODI century, New Zealand faltered under immense scoreboard pressure, eventually being dismissed for 237 in 43.2 overs.
Opting to bat first, Australia saw a promising start from Alyssa Healy and Phoebe Litchfield. Litchfield showcased her attacking intent, frequently advancing down the pitch for powerful strokes, especially on the off-side. Even after Healy`s departure in the fifth over, Litchfield maintained the scoring momentum alongside Ellyse Perry.
Litchfield skillfully adapted to the pace bowlers, finding gaps effectively and setting Australia up for a substantial score, reaching 81 for 1 by the end of the powerplay. However, the game shifted dramatically with Amelia Kerr`s introduction in the ninth over. Kerr immediately made an impact, bowling a perfectly disguised googly that cleaned bowled the left-handed Litchfield. This crucial wicket also marked Kerr`s 100th in One Day Internationals.
Following Litchfield`s dismissal, New Zealand tightened their grip on the game, restricting Australia to a mere 20 runs between the 11th and 17th overs. Amelia Kerr, with her masterful blend of googlies, flight, and control, made scoring incredibly difficult. Veteran bowler Lea Tahuhu initiated a mini-collapse by dismissing Perry in the 18th over. Annabel Sutherland soon followed, caught at mid-on off Kerr`s bowling. Australia`s struggles deepened as Beth Mooney was then meekly dismissed for 12, marking their third wicket loss in just 24 balls.
Ashleigh Gardner then emerged as Australia`s saviour. She adopted an aggressive approach from the outset, opening her account with a boundary over extra cover. Gardner attacked both spin and pace bowlers, expertly dispatching them through the covers and straight down the ground. Her dominance was evident when she stepped out to hit Kerr for a six, bringing up her half-century in just 43 balls.
Unfazed by falling wickets, Gardner maintained her relentless assault, reaching her century in an astonishing 34 additional balls. The 8900-strong crowd in Indore, witnessing its inaugural women`s ODI, erupted in applause as she celebrated her pivotal, match-altering innings.
Sophie Devine`s knock of 111, her ninth ODI century, went in vain.
New Zealand`s pursuit of the target began disastrously. A communication breakdown led to Georgia Plimmer being run out in the very first over without facing a single delivery. The decision to hand the new ball to left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux, making her ODI comeback after an injury absence since December 2024, alongside Kim Garth, proved inspired. Molineux immediately struck, dismissing the seasoned Suzie Bates for a duck in the second over, leaving New Zealand in a precarious position.
By the end of nine overs, New Zealand struggled at 24 for 2. Amelia Kerr briefly eased the pressure with a quick succession of boundaries against Darcie Brown in the tenth over. However, as Annabel Sutherland and Alana King bowled in tandem, Kerr found scoring challenging, while Devine managed to find occasional gaps. Kerr, who had slowly moved from 28 off 30 balls to 33 off 55, was eventually dismissed by King on the very next delivery.
Sophie Devine hit New Zealand`s first six, stepping down the pitch to loft Gardner into the sightscreen, and swiftly reached her half-century in 69 balls. Brooke Halliday added another six off King, followed by a boundary, but King soon exacted her revenge, dismissing Halliday for 28.
By this point, the required run rate had soared to ten runs per over. While Australia`s spinners consistently made scoring difficult, Devine capitalized on some wayward bowling from Darcie Brown in the 36th over, smashing four consecutive boundaries to enter the nineties. Brown had replaced the seasoned pacer Megan Schutt in the playing XI.
With New Zealand requiring 107 runs from 54 balls and wickets tumbling around her, Devine maintained her composure, hitting a six over deep midwicket to bring up her century. However, Annabel Sutherland delivered a devastating triple-wicket over in the 43rd, removing Devine, Jess Kerr, and Eden Carson, effectively ending New Zealand`s faint hopes. Sophie Molineux then completed her impressive comeback, wrapping up the innings in the next over with figures of 3 for 25.
Gardnerning Asrli Natijasi Avstraliyaga Yangi Zelandiya Ustidan Yirik G`alaba Keltirdi
Sruthi Ravindranath • 2025-yil 1-oktabr
Ashleigh Gardner o`yinni o`zgartirgan inningsda 77 to`pda asrlik natija qayd etdi.
Avstraliya 5 ta uchinchi darajali darvoza evaziga 128 runlik noqulay vaziyatdan chiqib, umumiy hisobda 326 run to`pladi va oxir-oqibat Yangi Zelandiyani 89 run farqi bilan mag`lub etdi. Sofi Devinning jonbozliklariga qaramay, Yangi Zelandiya faqat 237 run qila oldi.
Avstraliya 326 (Gardner 115, Litchfield 45, Tahuhu 3-42) natijasi bilan Yangi Zelandiyani 237 (Devine 111, Molineux 3-25, Sutherland 3-26) evaziga 89 run farqi bilan mag`lub etdi.
Indordagi Avstraliya va Yangi Zelandiya o`rtasidagi Ayollar Jahon kubogi bahsida ikki nafar o`yinchining bir asrlik natijasi yorqin lahzalarni taqdim etdi, biroq aynan Ashleigh Gardnerning o`yini amaldagi chempion Avstraliya uchun g`alabani ta`minladi. Uning o`yinni hal qiluvchi zarbalari Sofi Devinning jonbozliklarini soyada qoldirdi, chunki Avstraliya o`z kampaniyasini 89 runlik g`alaba bilan boshladi.
Gardnerning atigi 83 ta to`pda urgan 115 runi, shu jumladan 77 ta to`pda erishilgan asrlik natijasi Avstraliya uchun hal qiluvchi ahamiyatga ega bo`ldi. U jamoasini 5 ta uchinchi darajali darvoza evaziga 128 runlik qiyin vaziyatdan 326 runlik ulkan natijaga olib chiqdi. Bu ulkan hisob Yangi Zelandiyadan rekord darajadagi ta`qibni, ya`ni ayollar ODI tarixidagi eng yuqori 302 runlik muvaffaqiyatli ta`qibdan ham oshib ketishni talab qildi. Sofi Devinning ajoyib 111 runiga qaramay, uning to`qqizinchi ODI asrlik natijasi Yangi Zelandiya katta run bosimi ostida qiyinchilikka uchradi va oxir-oqibat 43,2 overda 237 run bilan cheklandi.
Dastlab to`p surishni tanlagan Avstraliya Alyssa Healy va Phoebe Litchfielddan umidli boshlanishni ko`rdi. Litchfield ayniqsa hujumkorligi bilan ajralib turdi, ko`pincha kuchli zarbalar uchun pitchga qadam qo`ydi, ayniqsa off-side tomonga. Healy beshinchi overda ketganidan keyin ham, Litchfield Ellyse Perry bilan birga runlarni to`plashda davom etdi.
Litchfield tezkor to`pchilarga yaxshi moslashib, to`pni bo`shliqlarga mohirona joylashtirdi va powerplay yakunida Avstraliyani 1 ta uchinchi darajali darvoza evaziga 81 runga olib kelib, katta hisobga qarab ketayotgan edi. Biroq, to`qqizinchi overda Amelia Kerrning maydonga tushishi o`yinni tubdan o`zgartirdi. Kerr darhol ta`sir ko`rsatdi, chap qo`l Litchfieldni mukammal darajada yashirilgan «googly» bilan darvozasini sindirdi. Bu muhim uchinchi darajali darvoza Kerrning bir kunlik xalqaro o`yinlardagi 100-chi natijasi ham bo`ldi.
Litchfieldning ketishidan so`ng, Yangi Zelandiya o`yinni o`z nazoratiga oldi va Avstraliyani 11-17-overlar orasida atigi 20 run bilan cheklab qo`ydi. Amelia Kerr o`zining «googly»lari, parvoz va nazoratni mohirona aralashtirishi bilan Avstraliya batmenlari uchun run to`plashni nihoyatda qiyinlashtirdi. Tajribali Lea Tahuhu 18-overda Perryning uchinchi darajali darvozasini olib, kichik qulashni boshladi. Annabel Sutherland keyingi overda Kerrning to`p uzatmasidan keyin mid-on qismida ushlab olindi. Keyin Avstraliya 24 ta to`p ichida uchinchi uchinchi darajali darvozasini yo`qotdi, Beth Mooney esa 12 run bilan osonlikcha maydonni tark etdi.
Keyin Ashleigh Gardner Avstraliyaning najotkori sifatida maydonga chiqdi. U boshidanoq tajovuzkor yondashuvni qo`lladi, ekstra-cover ustidan zarba berib, hisobni ochdi. Gardner ham spinnerlarga, ham tezkor to`pchilarga birdek hujum qildi, ularni cover orqali va to`g`ridan-to`g`ri maydon bo`ylab mohirona urdi. U pitch bo`ylab oldinga chiqib, Kerrga olti runlik zarba berib, 43 ta to`pda o`zining yarim asrlik natijasini qayd etganida o`z ustunligini ko`rsatdi.
Uchinchi darajali darvozalar ketma-ket tushib ketishiga qaramay, Gardner bosimni susaytirmadi, keyingi 34 ta to`pda asrlik natijaga erishdi. Indordagi 8900 tomoshabin, ilk bor ayollar ODI o`yiniga mezbonlik qilgan shaharda, uning o`yinni tubdan o`zgartirgan natijasini olqishlar bilan qarshi oldi.
Sofi Devinning 111 runlik, to`qqizinchi ODI asrlik natijasi behuda ketdi.
Yangi Zelandiyaning ta`qibi falokatli boshlandi. Dastlabki overda noto`g`ri aloqa tufayli Georgia Plimmer bironta ham to`pga tegmasdan run out bo`ldi. 2024-yil dekabridan beri jarohatdan keyin ODIga qaytgan chap qo`l spinner Sofi Molineuxga Kim Garth bilan birga yangi to`p berish qarori juda to`g`ri bo`ldi. Molineux darhol zarba berdi, ikkinchi overda tajribali Suzie Batesni nol run bilan maydondan chetlatdi va Yangi Zelandiyani og`ir ahvolga solib qo`ydi.
To`qqizinchi over oxirida Yangi Zelandiya 2 ta uchinchi darajali darvoza evaziga 24 run bilan qiynalardi. Amelia Kerr o`ninchi overda Darcie Brownga qarshi bir nechta boumdariyalarni urib, bosimni biroz yengillatdi. Biroq, Annabel Sutherland va Alana King birgalikda to`p uzatishganida, Kerrga run to`plash qiyin bo`ldi, Devin esa vaqti-vaqti bilan bo`shliqlarni topa oldi. 30 ta to`pda 28 rundan 55 ta to`pda 33 runga sekin o`tgan Kerr keyingi to`pda King tomonidan maydondan chetlatildi.
Sofi Devinning Gardnerga qarshi pitchga tushib, uni sightscreen ustidan oshirganida Yangi Zelandiyaning ilk olti runlik zarbasi sodir bo`ldi va tez orada u 69 ta to`pda o`zining yarim asrlik natijasiga erishdi. Brooke Halliday Kingdan ikkinchi olti runlik zarbani urdi, so`ngra bitta baundariyalik zarba berdi, ammo King oxirgi bo`lib kuldi, Hallidayni 28 run bilan maydondan chetlatdi.
Bu vaqtga kelib, talab qilingan run ko`rsatkichi overiga o`n runga ko`tarilgan edi. Avstraliyaning spinnerlari Yangi Zelandiyani runlar uchun qattiq mehnat qilishga majbur qilayotgan bo`lsa-da, Devin 36-overda Darcie Brownning noto`g`ri to`p uzatishlaridan unumli foydalanib, ketma-ket to`rtta baundariya urib, to`qsonliklarga o`tdi. Brown jamoaga tajribali tezkor to`pchi Megan Schutt o`rniga kiritilgan edi.
Yangi Zelandiya 54 ta to`pdan 107 runga muhtoj bo`lishiga va darvozalar ketma-ket tushib ketishiga qaramay, Devin xotirjamlikni saqlab qoldi va chuqur midwicket ustidan olti runlik zarba berib, o`zining asrlik natijasini qayd etdi. Biroq, Sutherlandning 43-overdagi halokatli uchta uchinchi darajali darvoza natijasi, unda u Devin, Jess Kerr va Eden Carsonni maydondan chetlatdi, Yangi Zelandiyaning zaif umidlarini butunlay so`ndirdi. Sofi Molineux keyingi overda Yangi Zelandiya inningsini yakunlab, o`zining qaytishida 25 run evaziga 3 ta uchinchi darajali darvoza bilan ajoyib natija ko`rsatdi.
