Australia became the first team to book their place in the semifinals of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 with a commanding 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on October 16, 2025. Captain Alyssa Healy struck her second consecutive century of the tournament, scoring an unbeaten 113 off 77 balls as Australia chased down 199 in just 24.5 overs without losing a single wicket.
The dominant performance showcased Australia’s championship credentials once again, with the defending champions maintaining their unbeaten record and moving to the top of the points table with 9 points from five matches. The victory margin and clinical execution sent a powerful message to all other teams: Australia remains the team to beat in their quest for an eighth World Cup title.
Match Summary – AUS-W vs BAN-W
Result: Australia Women beat Bangladesh Women by 10 wickets
Venue: Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam
Date: October 16, 2025
Toss: Bangladesh won and elected to bat first
Bangladesh’s Score: 198/9 in 50 overs
Australia’s Score: 202/0 in 24.5 overs
Player of the Match: Alana King (2-18 in 10 overs, 4 maidens)
Margin: 10 wickets with 25.1 overs remaining
Bangladesh’s Innings: Struggles Continue
Opening Start and Early Collapse
Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana won the toss and elected to bat first, hoping to post a competitive total on what was expected to be a batting-friendly surface. The opening pair of Fargana Hoque and Rubya Haider provided a steady start, putting on 32 runs in nine overs before Megan Schutt provided the first breakthrough.
Early Wickets: Fargana Hoque was dismissed for just 8 runs off 24 balls by Schutt, leaving Bangladesh at 32/1. This brought Sharmin Akhter to the crease to partner with the in-form Rubya Haider.
Rubya Haider’s Fortunate Knock
Rubya Haider lived a charmed life during her innings of 44 off 59 balls. She survived numerous edges and dropped catches, most notably when Phoebe Litchfield spilled a chance at slip early in her innings. Despite her fortune, Haider displayed positive intent, striking eight crisp boundaries and building a crucial 41-run partnership with Sharmin Akhter.
Haider’s Dismissal: Just when it appeared Haider might anchor the innings to a substantial total, Ashleigh Gardner struck. An outside-off delivery tempted Haider into a slog-sweep over mid-on, but she mistimed it badly with no height or distance. The ball went straight into the safe hands of Tahlia McGrath, who took a neat reverse-cupped catch. Haider’s departure for 44 in the 18th over triggered another collapse.
Middle-Order Failures
Sharmin Akhter (19 off 33 balls): One wicket brought another. Just after Rubya Haider departed, Sharmin Akhter’s resistance also broke. She was dismissed on 19 runs by Ashleigh Gardner with an easy catch for Sutherland at mid-on. The unwanted shot came as the scoring-rate pressure was building.
Nigar Sultana (12 runs): Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana, feeling the pressure of tight field placements, charged down the track against Alana King but was completely deceived by flight and turn. Healy calmly collected behind the stumps and whipped off the bails for a textbook stumping, leaving Bangladesh reeling.
Shorna Akter (7 off 24 balls): Despite having scored the fastest fifty for Bangladesh in recent matches, Shorna Akter struggled against Australia’s disciplined bowling attack, managing only 7 runs off 24 deliveries.
Sobhana Mostary’s Heroic Resistance
Amid the batting carnage, Sobhana Mostary produced a captain’s innings from a non-captain, scoring an unbeaten 66 off 80 balls decorated with nine crisp boundaries. Her innings represented the only substantial contribution from Bangladesh’s batting lineup and prevented complete embarrassment.
Mostary’s Milestone: Mostary brought up her fifty in style, steering a Gardner delivery through deep third for four. This marked her second half-century of the tournament and demonstrated her growing maturity as a batter. She survived two dropped chances off consecutive balls from Gardner, with Sutherland unable to hold an excellent running catch to wide long-on and Wareham parrying one to the boundary rope from deep midwicket.
Late Resistance: Mostary put on a valuable 34-run last-wicket partnership with Fariha Trisna to drag Bangladesh towards respectability. At 165/9 in the 46th over, it appeared Bangladesh would struggle to reach even 180, but Mostary’s determination and intelligent batting ensured they reached 198/9.
Bangladesh’s Final Total
Bangladesh finished on 198 for 9 in their allotted 50 overs, a total that looked at least 50 runs short on a good batting surface. Only Rubya Haider (44) and Sobhana Mostary (66*) passed 19 runs, highlighting the batting fragility that has plagued Bangladesh throughout the tournament.
Australia’s Bowling Masterclass
Alana King – Player of the Match
Despite Alyssa Healy’s magnificent century, it was spinner Alana King who received the Player of the Match award for her incredible spell of right-arm leg-spin bowling. King registered figures of 2 for 18 in her quota of 10 overs with four maidens, not allowing Bangladesh batters to get away at any stage during the middle overs.
King’s Impact:
- Dismissed Nigar Sultana (stumped)
- Removed Shorna Akter
- Bowled four maiden overs
- Economy rate: 1.80
- Control and variations troubled all batters
King’s ability to maintain pressure during the middle overs prevented Bangladesh from building partnerships and accelerating. Her spell exemplified the quality of Australia’s bowling depth.
Collective Bowling Effort
Ashleigh Gardner (2 wickets): Gardner provided crucial breakthroughs, removing both Rubya Haider and Sharmin Akhter at critical junctures. Her part-time off-spin proved more than effective against Bangladesh’s struggling batting lineup.
Annabel Sutherland (2 wickets): Sutherland continued her excellent tournament form, taking two wickets to move to the top of the leading wicket-takers’ list outright with 12 wickets. She removed Fahima Khatun and Nishita Akter Nishi (the latter after overturning an lbw decision).
Georgia Wareham (2 wickets): Wareham tightened Australia’s grip with her first five overs yielding just six runs and the wickets of Ritu Moni and Rabeya Khan, making it 162 for 8. Her economical spell of leg-spin complemented King’s mastery perfectly.
Megan Schutt (1 wicket): Schutt provided the early breakthrough by dismissing Fargana Hoque, setting the tone for Australia’s dominant bowling performance.
The Record-Breaking Chase
Historic Opening Partnership
Chasing just 199 runs, Australia’s opening pair of Alyssa Healy and Phoebe Litchfield produced a batting masterclass, putting together an unbroken partnership of 202 runs in just 24.5 overs. The partnership ranks as the third-highest for Australia in ICC Women’s World Cup history.
Partnership Rankings:
- 220 – R Buckstein & L Reeler vs Netherlands, Perth, 1988 (1st wicket)
- 216 – A Healy & R Haynes vs West Indies, Wellington, 2022 (1st wicket)
- 202 – A Healy & P Litchfield vs Bangladesh, Visakhapatnam, 2025 (1st wicket)
The partnership also represents the second-highest target achieved by a team without loss of wickets in women’s ODIs, with Australia’s 218-run chase against Ireland in 2023 being the top effort.
Alyssa Healy’s Consecutive Centuries
Captain Alyssa Healy followed her magnificent 142 against India at the same venue with another breathtaking century, scoring 113 not out off 77 balls with 20 boundaries. The innings showcased Healy’s aggressive batting philosophy and her ability to dominate quality bowling attacks.
Healy’s Historic Achievements:
Most Centuries in Women’s World Cup for Australia: Healy now holds the record for most centuries by an Australian in Women’s World Cup history, overtaking former captain Meg Lanning. This was her seventh ODI century overall and fourth in World Cup matches.
Second Consecutive Centuries: Healy repeated the feat of scoring consecutive centuries in a World Cup, having previously achieved this in 2022 with 129 and 170 against England and the West Indies. She joins an elite group of players who have scored back-to-back World Cup centuries twice.
Strike Rate Dominance: Healy’s strike rate of 146.75 reflected her ultra-aggressive approach. From the first ball, she attacked Bangladesh’s bowlers, refusing to allow them to settle into any rhythm.
Record Boundaries: Her 20 fours in the innings equaled one of the highest boundary counts in women’s ODI cricket, with each boundary struck cleanly and precisely through gaps in the field.
Phoebe Litchfield’s Supporting Act
While Healy stole the headlines, Phoebe Litchfield played an equally impressive innings, remaining unbeaten on 84 off 72 balls with 12 fours and a six. Her intelligent batting and aggressive shot selection complemented Healy’s dominance perfectly.
Litchfield’s Approach: The young opener was particularly proactive early in the chase, advancing down the pitch and manipulating her crease to unsettle Bangladesh’s bowlers. She reached her fifty off just 46 balls, shortly after Healy raised her half-century off 43 deliveries.
Fortune Favors the Brave: Litchfield survived a stumping chance when Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana gave the gloves to Rubya Haider. The stand-in wicketkeeper fumbled a stumping opportunity off Ritu Moni’s bowling when Litchfield was on 46, a costly miss that allowed the partnership to flourish.
Fastest Team Milestones
100-Run Partnership: Australia reached their team 100 in just 13.5 overs, the fastest team century of the tournament. This blistering pace put immediate pressure on Bangladesh and effectively ended the match as a contest.
150-Run Partnership: The partnership of 150 runs came up in just 20.5 overs, maintaining the aggressive tempo that has become Australia’s trademark in limited-overs cricket.
Winning Runs: Litchfield fittingly finished the chase with back-to-back boundaries off Fariha Trisna in the 25th over, sealing victory with a massive 25.1 overs remaining.
Bangladesh’s Bowling Struggles
Expensive Spells
Bangladesh’s bowling attack had no answers to Australia’s relentless aggression. Several bowlers went for plenty:
Fariha Trisna: 47 runs in 5.5 overs (Economy: 8.06)
Fahima Khatun: Economy rate of 12 (severely punished)
Nishita Akter Nishi: 24 runs in 4 overs
Rabeya Khan: 9 runs in 1 over
Lack of Penetration
Despite having opened with a maiden from Trisna and conceding just three runs off Nishita’s first over as Healy and Litchfield settled into rhythm, Bangladesh couldn’t maintain pressure. Once the Australian openers found their timing, the bowlers had no alternative plans or variations to stem the flow of runs.
Tournament Implications
Australia’s Semifinal Qualification
This victory makes Australia the first team to qualify for the semifinals with two group-stage matches still remaining. Their unbeaten record (4 wins, 1 no result) and superior net run rate have moved them to the top of the points table with 9 points.
Australia’s Remaining Fixtures:
- vs South Africa (October 21)
- vs England (October 22)
Both matches present opportunities for Australia to maintain momentum and potentially rest key players ahead of the knockout stages.
Bangladesh’s Deteriorating Campaign
Bangladesh remain in seventh position with just 2 points from 5 matches (1 win, 4 losses). Their tournament has been characterized by batting failures and inability to post competitive totals.
Bangladesh’s Challenges:
- Only two batters (Haider and Mostary) showing form
- Middle-order collapse in every match
- Bowling lacks penetration against quality batting
- Net run rate severely damaged
Remaining Fixtures: Bangladesh must win their remaining matches to salvage pride and gain valuable World Cup experience for their young squad.
Statistical Highlights
Alyssa Healy’s Milestones
7th ODI Century: This was Healy’s seventh century in women’s ODIs, moving her up the all-time list.
Overtaking Legends: Healy overtook Alex Blackwell to become Australia’s fifth-highest run-getter in WODIs, with 3,558 runs in 122 matches and 110 innings at an average of 36.30 and strike rate of 100.
Joint Second in World Cup Centuries: With four World Cup centuries, Healy now shares second place on the all-time list with Suzie Bates, Janette Brittin, and Charlotte Edwards. Only England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt leads with five centuries.
Equaling Charlotte Edwards: Healy equaled former England star Charlotte Edwards for the most centuries in a single edition of the Women’s ODI World Cup.
Australia’s Historic Win
8th 10-Wicket Victory: This is the eighth 10-wicket victory for Australia in Women’s ODI World Cups and the first since the 2005 edition. No team other than Australia has achieved this feat more than thrice, with England next with three.
Unbeaten Against Bangladesh: The victory extended Australia’s unbeaten run against Bangladesh to 5-0 in WODIs, continuing their historical dominance over the South Asian side.
Individual Performance Records
Sobhana Mostary:
- Second half-century of the tournament
- Highest score by a Bangladesh batter against Australia in World Cups
- Showed maturity beyond her years
Alana King:
- Best bowling figures of the match: 2-18
- Four maiden overs in 10-over spell
- Economy rate: 1.80
Expert Analysis
Healy’s Championship Form
Cricket experts worldwide have praised Alyssa Healy’s back-to-back centuries as potentially tournament-defining performances. Her ability to score at such a rapid pace while maintaining exceptional shot selection places her among the greatest World Cup performers of all time.
Commentators noted that Healy’s leadership by example has been crucial to Australia’s campaign. Despite early struggles in some matches, the captain has delivered when it mattered most, inspiring her team to maintain their unbeaten record.
Australia’s Semifinal Prospects
With qualification secured and two matches remaining, Australia can now manage their resources strategically. The team’s depth means they could potentially rest key players against South Africa while still maintaining their winning momentum.
Analysts suggest that Australia’s combination of aggressive batting, quality spin bowling, and fielding excellence makes them overwhelming favorites for an eighth World Cup title. No team has shown the ability to consistently challenge them across all three departments.
Bangladesh’s Learning Curve
While Bangladesh’s campaign has been disappointing, experts note that exposure to high-pressure World Cup matches will benefit their young players in the long term. Players like Sobhana Mostary have shown glimpses of quality that suggest brighter futures.
The consensus is that Bangladesh must invest in developing batting depth and finding ways to post competitive totals consistently. Without substantial scores on the board, their bowlers face an impossible task against quality batting lineups.
What’s Next for both teams?
Australia’s Path to Glory
Australia will face South Africa on October 21 and England on October 22 in their remaining group matches. Both fixtures present opportunities to test combinations and maintain match sharpness ahead of the semifinals.
Strategic Considerations:
- Potential rest for key players
- Testing fringe players’ readiness
- Maintaining winning momentum
- Fine-tuning tactics for knockout stages
Bangladesh’s Pride Mission
Bangladesh must regroup quickly and focus on finishing their campaign positively. Their remaining fixtures against Sri Lanka (October 20) and India (October 21) provide opportunities to gain valuable experience and restore some pride.
Focus Areas:
- Developing middle-order resilience
- Finding batting consistency
- Learning from defeats
- Building for future tournaments
Conclusion
Australia’s 10-wicket demolition of Bangladesh represented everything that makes them the dominant force in women’s cricket. Alyssa Healy’s second consecutive century, combined with clinical bowling and fielding performances, showcased the defending champions at their ruthless best.
The victory secured Australia’s semifinal qualification with two matches to spare, allowing them to manage their resources strategically while maintaining their unbeaten record. With momentum building and key players in superb form, Australia appears destined for another deep run in the tournament.
For Bangladesh, this defeat highlighted the gulf between themselves and the world’s elite teams. However, the performance of players like Sobhana Mostary provides hope that with continued development and exposure, they can become more competitive in future tournaments.
As the tournament enters its business end, one thing is crystal clear: Australia remains the team to beat, and any side hoping to deny them an eighth World Cup title will need to produce something truly extraordinary. Based on current form, that appears to be a monumental task.