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In the ninth match of the 2025/26 ICC Women’s World Cup, held on October 8, 2025, at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, the Australian women’s team posted 221 runs for 9 in 50 overs after being sent in to bat by Pakistani captain Fatima Sana.
Pakistan slumped to 114 runs in 36.3 overs while chasing, giving Australia a resounding 107-run victory.
A standout performance by Beth Mooney, unbeaten with 109 runs in 114 balls, rescued Australia from a precarious 76 for 7 thanks to a record-breaking 106-run ninth-wicket partnership with Alana King (51 off 48).
Pakistan’s spin bowlers, led by Nashra Sandhu (3-37), orchestrated the collapse, but their seam bowlers conceded runs in the final overs.
In response, Australia’s attack, featuring Kim Garth (3-14) and Megan Schutt (2-25), capitaized on an early turnaround to dismantle Pakistan’s top order, with Sidra Amin’s 35 points the highest score for the losing team.
This result catapulted Australia to the top of the points table with three matches played: two wins and one loss, with a net run rate (NRR) of +1.960. They cemented their status as favorites and semifinal contenders in a tournament where only four teams advance from the round-robin stage.
For Pakistan, the defeat left them in last place, with zero points after three defeats and a TNR of -1.887, severely denting their qualification hopes and forcing an unlikely comeback in the remaining four matches.
The match underscored the predominantly spin-focused narrative of the tournament so far, with left-handed spin bowlers capturing 22 of 44 wickets in the matches, but it also highlighted how seam movement can change the pace in Colombo’s conditions.
Australia’s victory averted a potential crisis following the implosion of their top-order side (their second-lowest seventh-wicket score in World Cup history) and reaffirmed their depth and adaptability.
Mooney’s maiden World Cup century (his third ODI overall) boosted their form ahead of the decisive matches against India and England, while King’s powerful knock set a new benchmark for the resilience of lower-order sides.
However, the fragility of the batting displayed by Pakistan’s spin bowlers (who recorded 6-98) serves as a warning for pitches expected to spin more as the tournament progresses.
For Pakistan, winless, this capitulation compounded their woes, sinking their NRR and raising serious questions about their batting composure under pressure. They lost five wickets for just 31 runs at the start of the chase.
Captain Sana’s decision to bowl first backfired, and the team’s overreliance on spin (using only five bowlers, with Diana Baig conceding 0-74) highlighted their resource limitations.
On the positive side, Sandhu’s run has lifted her to Pakistan’s highest wicket-taker in the World Cup (17 runs), but the defeat is likely to signal elimination from the semi-finals unless they pull off an upset, which could affect the morale and strategies of the coaches midway through the tournament.
Australia’s triumph was a testament to individual brilliance amid collective vulnerability: Mooney’s patient mastery on a slow, spinning track—a rotating strike with 44 singles—turned a defendable total into a rout, emphasizing that composure trumps aggression in subcontinental conditions.
Pakistan’s bowlers created real upset potential by shaking up the champions, but their inability to close out the innings (conceding 81 in the last 10 overs) and the subsequent collapse of the batting exposed a lack of depth and fielding acumen, turning a winnable match into a demoralizing one.
Overall, the match reinforced the unpredictability of the World Cup—spin dominated Australia’s innings, but seam decided the contest—while the heroic performances of Australia’s lower-order players reflect their historic resilience.
For neutrals, it was a reminder that even seven-time champions aren’t invincible, leading to intriguing spin-versus-seam side battles as the tournament heats up.
