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WWC 2025: Gardner upstages Devine as Australia kick off with a win

Published

4 months ago

2025/10/2

Priyan

Sophie Devine's knock of 111 went in vain [Cricinfo]

Two solo century acts lit up the Australia-New Zealand World Cup contest in Indore. It was Ashleigh Gardner’s which proved to be the match-winning one, while Sophie Devine’s effort went in vain, as defending champions Australia opened their campaign with an 89-run win.

Gardner rescued Australia from a precarious position, helping them recover from 128 for 5 to post 326, by smashing 115 off 83 balls. It was a total that required a record chase, with the highest ever chase in women’s ODIs being 302. Devine was left to do the heavy-lifting after early wickets, but could not keep up with the scoreboard pressure. She finished with 111, her ninth century in ODIs, while New Zealand could only muster 237 in 43.2 overs.

Alyssa Healy and Phoebe Litchfield started positively after Australia opted to bat. Litchfield was particularly adept at using her feet, as she came down the track often to play her big shots. Even after Healy departed in the fifth over, Litchfield continued to pile on the runs in the company of Ellyse Perry, targeting the off side for her big hits.

Litchfield adjusted well to the lengths of the fast bowlers and began to place the ball in the gaps, looking on track for a big score after taking Australia to 81 for 1 at the end of the powerplay. But the introduction of Amelia Kerr in the ninth over turned the game. In the first ball of the over, she executed the perfect googly that pitched outside leg and turned into the left-handed Litchfield, who played down the wrong line and was bowled. The wicket was also Amelia’s 100th in ODIs.

New Zealand put the squeeze on Australia after Litchfield’s wicket, conceding just 20 runs between the 11th and 17th overs. Kerr particularly made run-scoring a task for the Australia batters, mixing googlies, flight and control during her spell. The experienced Lea Tahuhu triggered a mini collapse, starting with Perry’s wicket in the 18th over. Annabel Sutherland was the next one to go in the following over, with Kerr having her caught at mid-on. Australia then lost their third wicket in the space of 24 balls, with Beth Mooney dismissed tamely for 12.

The rearguard for Australia came in the form of Gardner. She was aggressive from the start, getting off the mark with a punch over extra cover. Gardner took on the spinners and fast bowlers alike, particularly punishing them through the covers and down the ground. She stamped her authority as she danced down the track to hit Kerr for a six to bring her half-century off 43 balls.

Gardner did not take her foot off the gas even as wickets fell around her, hurrying to her century in the next 34 balls. She soaked in the applause of the 8900-strong crowd in Indore, hosting its first-ever women’s ODI, as she celebrated her game-changing innings.

New Zealand’s chase started chaotically, with Georgia Plimmer run out without facing a ball in the first over after a mix-up. Left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux, returning to ODIs for the first time since December 2024 after an injury layoff, was given the new ball with Kim Garth, and the move paid off. Molineux removed the experienced Suzie Bates for a duck in the second over to leave New Zealand in tatters.

New Zealand were 24 for 2 at the end of nine overs, but Kerr broke the pressure with a flurry of boundaries in the tenth over off Darcie Brown. But with Sutherland and Alana King bowling in tandem, Kerr toiled for her runs while Devine occasionally found the gaps. From 28 off 30 balls, Kerr laboured to 33 off 55 before being dismissed by King next ball.

The first six of New Zealand’s innings came when Devine walked down to Gardner to pump her into the sightscreen, and soon brought up a 69-ball half-century. Brooke Halliday hit the second one, off King, and followed it up with a boundary, but King had the last laugh, dismissing her for 28.

The asking rate had ballooned to ten by then. With Australia’s spinners making New Zealand work hard for the runs, Devine feasted on some wayward bowling from Brown in the 36th over, hitting her for four consecutive boundaries to move into the 90s. Brown had come into the XI in place of premier pacer Megan Schutt.

Despite New Zealand needing 107 off 54 balls and wickets falling around her, Devine kept a cool head and hit a six over deep midwicket to raise her century. But a triple-wicket 43rd over by Sutherland, in which she dismissed Devine, Jess Kerr and Eden Carson, all but quashed New Zealand’s slim hopes. Molineux wrapped up New Zealand’s innings in the following over to finish with 3 for 25 on her return.

Brief scores:
Australia Women 326 in 49.3 overs (Ashleigh Gardner 115, Phoebe Litchfield 45, Ellyse Perry 35, Tahlia McGrath 26, Kim Garth 38; Bree Illing 2-75, Jess Kerr 3-59, Amelia Kerr 2-54, Lea Tahuhu 3-42) beat New Zealand Women 237 in 43.2 overs (Amelia Kerr 33, Sophie Devine 111, Brooke Halliday 28, Maddy Green 20, Issabella Gaze 28; Sophie Molineux 3-25, Annabel Sutherland 3-26, Alana King 2-44) by 89 runs

[Cricinfo]

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U19 World Cup: Japan defeat Tanzania by nine wickets

Published

3 hours ago

2026/01/25

Priyan

Nihar Parmar hit an unbeaten fifty in Japan's chase [Cricinfo]

Nihar Parmar produced an excellent all-round display as Japan comfortably defeated Tanzania by nine wickets at Windhoek in the first playoffs for the 13th to 16th-places.

After Tanzania elected to bat, opener Karim Kiseto departed for a duck, but Acrey Pascal and Ayaan Shariff steadied the innings with a productive 79-run stand. Pascal top-scored with a patient 55 before falling to Kazuma Kato Stafford, but it was Parmar who turned the game on its head.

The Japanese all-rounder struck twice in consecutive deliveries to remove Shariff for 40 and Agustino Mwamele for a golden duck, sparking a dramatic collapse. From a relatively comfortable 118/2, Tanzania capitulated to 131 all out inside the next seven overs. Parmar finished with excellent figures of 4 for 30, while Nikhil Pol chipped in with 3 for 23 as the duo tore through the lower order.

Chasing a modest target, Japan made light work of the run chase. Parmar and Taylor Waugh constructed a clinical 122-run opening partnership, putting the result beyond doubt. Waugh fell short of a half-century, run out for 47, before Parmar reached his fifty and remained unbeaten on 53. Pol joined him to finish the job, guiding Japan home with more than 24 overs to spare.

Brief scores:
Tanzania 131 in 38.3 overs (Acrey Pascal 55; Nihar Parmar 4-30, Nikhil Pol 3-23) lost to Japan 136/1 in 28.2 overs (Nihar Parmar 53*, Taylor Waugh 47) by nine wickets

[Cricbuzz]

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U19 World Cup: Ambrish’s four-fer powers India to third straight win

Published

3 hours ago

2026/01/25

Priyan

India secured their third win in the group stage [Cricbuzz]

India bundled out New Zealand for a mere 135 in their final Group B fixture of the Under-19 World Cup before waltzing home to a comfortable seven-wicket win at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. The comprehensive victory was set up by RS Ambrish’s four-wicket haul (4 for 19) and well-supported by Henil Patel’s three scalps (3 for 23) and ensured India finished the group stage with a perfect record of three wins from three matches.

After winning the toss, skipper Ayush Mhatre had no hesitation in bowling first on an overcast morning in Bulawayo. The decision was vindicated immediately as the Indian bowlers ran through the New Zealand top order. New Zealand slumped to 22 for 5 inside 10 overs.

The game was twice interrupted by rain, reducing it to a 37-over contest, but India’s bowlers maintained relentless pressure throughout. New Zealand’s lower-order mounted a brief recovery thanks in large part to an unbeaten 37 from Callum Samson but their total of 135 was never going to test a strong Indian batting line-up.

In response, India chased down the DLS-altered target of 130 with seven wickets in hand, with Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre leading the charge with a 76-run partnership off just 39 balls. Mhatre hit half-a-dozen sixes in his 27-ball 53 while Suryavanshi added 40 off 23. The win was completed in just 81 balls, showcasing India’s dominance with the bat.

While the win consolidated India’s position heading into the Super Six after a nervy game against Bangladesh, for New Zealand, who had their previous two matches washed out, this was a disappointing return to action against a quality Indian bowling attack.

Brief Scores:
New Zealand 135 in 36.2 overs (RS Ambrish 4-29, Henil Patel 3-23) lost to India 130/3 in 13.3 overs (Vaibhav Suryavanshi 40, Ayush Mhatre 53) by 7 wickets [DLS Method]

[Cricbuzz]

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Josh Hoey breaks world 800m short track record with 1:42.50 in Boston

Published

3 hours ago

2026/01/25

Priyan

Josh Hoey had said he was excited to take a shot at the world 800m short track record in Boston and he was right on target as he clocked 1:42.50* to improve the 28-year-old mark at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix – the first World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting of the season – on Saturday (24).

Seven weeks on from setting a world 600m short track best, also in Boston, the US world indoor champion made more history as he took 0.17 off the world record of 1:42.67 set by Wilson Kipketer at the World Indoor Championships in Paris in 1997.

Hoey went into the race as the second-fastest indoor 800m runner of all time thanks to the North American record of 1:43.24 he ran at the US Indoor Championships in New York last year. But paced by his brother Jaxson, he leapt to the top of that all-time list, winning the race by more than two seconds.

Jaxson led his brother through the first 200m in 24.81 before 400m was reached in 50.21. Jaxson then stepped aside and Josh passed 600m in 1:16.19, holding on to cross the finish line in 1:42.50.

“We did a lot of pacing work,” said Josh, reflecting on his preparations for the race. “Just kind of kept steadily improving, taking it week by week, block by block, and we were able to make
this work.”

A world best had been set earlier in the programme, USA’s 2024 world indoor 1500m bronze medallist Hobbs Kessler clocking 4:48.79 to break the 2000m short track world best of 4:49.99 set by Kenenisa Bekele almost 19 years ago.

World short track 3000m record-holder Grant Fisher also dipped under the old world best, finishing second in 4:49.48.

[World Athletics]