Australia Claims ICC Women’s Championship Title with Victory over New Zealand

Australia concluded their impressive 24-match ICC Women’s Championship journey with a commanding 75-run triumph against New Zealand at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. This victory not only solidified their dominance in the tournament but also secured their third consecutive championship title. With a total of 39 points harvested from 17 wins, three no-results, and three losses, Australia has established an insurmountable lead that no other team can surpass. Even India, their nearest rival, can only reach a maximum of 37 points with their remaining matches against the West Indies (two games) and Ireland (three games).

The defeat poses significant concerns for New Zealand, who now find themselves in a precarious position regarding their automatic qualification for the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. Currently holding the final automatic qualification spot with 21 points accrued over 24 matches, they are at risk of being overtaken by Bangladesh, which has 19 points and three matches left, or the West Indies, which has 14 points and five matches remaining. Should they be surpassed, New Zealand would have to enter the Cricket World Cup Qualifier, where six teams compete for the last two spots in the tournament.

Additionally, Australia’s victory has guaranteed an automatic World Cup spot for Sri Lanka, who can no longer be displaced by teams that have games still to play.

This match further cements Australia’s status as a powerhouse in women’s cricket. Choosing to bat first, the Australian side set a solid tone with a robust opening partnership of 88 runs between Alyssa Healy and Phoebe Litchfield. Key contributions followed from Annabel Sutherland (42 off 43) and Ashleigh Gardner, who dazzled with a knock of 74 off 62 balls, propelling the visitors to a formidable total of 290 runs.

In response, New Zealand initially seemed poised for a successful chase, sitting comfortably at 106/1 after 20 overs. However, a game-changing boundary catch to dismiss Suzie Bates and a pivotal run-out of Melie Kerr shifted the momentum in favor of Australia. The Australian bowlers swiftly seized control, with Annabel Sutherland (3-39) and Alana King (3-34) leading the charge to restrict the White Ferns to just 215 runs.

With this victory, Australia continues to dominate the ICC Women’s Championship, standing as the only team to have won this title across the 2014–16 and 2017–20 tournament cycles.

(This article has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)