Women’s World Cup Team Watch: Australia the team to beat as they look for their eighth title this World Cup.
The reigning champions, Australia, who have only lost a few games since winning the previous World Cup in 2022, begin as overwhelming favourites once more.
Over the past four years, there has been some change within the team due to the retirements of Meg Lanning and Rachael Haynes, and Jess Jonassen is no longer a number one pick.
If there is a serious problem, Australia’s main challenge at the 2025 World Cup has been juggling their wealth of skill. Their six specialist bowlers have a right to play every game, while their top seven includes four all-rounders who can all bat in the top five.
Sophie Molineux’s comeback from injury is a good headache, even though her fitness is a watching brief. Adding a left-arm orthodox spinner to the attack seems better balanced than playing two legspinners, Alana King and Georgia Wareham.
In the meantime, one of their most potent middle-order players, Grace Harris, has been disqualified from the World Cup, and backup opener Georgia Voll has already scored an ODI century against India.
Although she has a hefty workload from a stress fracture in her foot, skipper Alyssa Healy will once again play a significant role, just as she did in 2022. When Australia lost in the rare semi-final of the 2024 T20 World Cup, her injury proved to be very expensive.
Ashleigh Gardner stands out as one of Australia’s key players in a lineup of match-winners. Being Australia’s sole offspinner, she gives the attack vital balance and can bowl both in and out of the powerplay in an attacking or holding role.
The two sides will play a pivotal match on October 12 in Visakhapatnam, where she has dismissed Smriti Mandhana, the top ODI batter in the world, five times. After the top order faltered last summer, Gardner also helped Australia win three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) with the bat, including a historic first international century against England.