Right then, that was quick! Australia made light work of South Africa to finish the league stages unbeaten. The final line-up for the semifinals is now confirmed: the first semifinal will see England take on South Africa in Guwahati, while in the second, Australia will lock horns with hosts India in Navi Mumbai.
Alana King was superb on the day and registered the best bowling figures by a bowler in the Women's World Cup ā 7/18.
Thatās all from our coverage for now. Weāll be back tomorrow with a double-header to conclude the league stages. Till then, this is Ajay Pal Singh, signing off on behalf of my colleagues Deepak Prakash, Aman, and Ashok Dayma. Goodbye!
Top One-Sided WODI Matchups:
New Zealand vs Ireland ā 18 wins, 0 losses England vs Sri Lanka ā 18 wins, 1 loss South Africa vs Ireland ā 18 wins, 1 loss Australia vs Pakistan ā 17 wins, 0 losses Australia vs Ireland ā 17 wins, 0 losses Australia vs South Africa ā 17 wins, 1 loss*
Lowest Match Aggregate Between Australia and South Africa in WODIs: 195, Indore, 2025 (This Match) 211, Adelaide, 2024 306, Buderim, 1999
Longest Winning Streaks in Women's World Cups
15* by Australia (2022-2025)
15 by Australia (1997-2000)
12 by Australia (1978-1982)
11 by New Zealand (1988-1993)
10 by England (1993-1997)
Tahlia McGrath (Australia Women Captain): "That was good funāno, that was pretty awesome. It just felt like once the ball was in her hands, something was going to happen, and that certainly did today. She was relentless, attacking those stumps, and it felt like every ball could be a wicket. Iām super happy for her. Iāve heard she broke a lot of recordsātruly a special performance.
We tweaked our plans a little, knowing we could be a bit tighter and create some dots. Stayed calm, and both Garth and Schutt executed really well, pulling things back and taking crucial wickets.
Yeah, sheās (Alana King) a real X-factor for us this World Cup. As soon as the powerplay was done, I had a quick chat with Ash, and we both agreedāget her into the game. And she took over from there and did the rest.
The plan was to bat with really good intent. It still looked like a bit of a tricky wicket, but if you played with intent, you got rewarded. That was the plan going in. A few early wickets fell, but the way Volly and Moons batted was really impressive.
Iām always a bit nervous on the sidelinesāIām not a great watcherābut nah, it was awesome to get the job done and head into the semifinals with some momentum.
Yeah, absolutely. Weāve played a lot at that ground (Navi Mumbai), especially against India recently. But in knockout games, youāve got to be onāitās crucial. Anything can happen. So, job one is doneāqualifyingāand now itās on to the knockouts. Weāre really excited for it."
Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa Women Captain): "Yeah, not the way we wanted to end the group stages. I think we have done a lot of good during the league stages and just want to focus on that heading into the semis.
I didn't think it was the worst thing in the world. We know that something we love to practice again because obviously the last time we did that England, it didn't go too well. I thought it was a decent wicket to bat on. King bowled excellently, we did speak a lot about facing her but that did not go according to the plan but yeah, she bowled really well.
Yeah, it is nice. I feel like I am timing it well. Just want to forget about today and focus on all the good we have been doing.
Yes, very nice. It has been a real team effort this time around. Nice to see different batters and bowlers putting their hands up, didn't happen today but hopefully, we can have one or two people putting their hands up in the semi-final.
Yeah, back then it was just to put that behind us as quickly as we could. Learning from what we did wrong. Maybe getting beaten on the inside edge. At the same time, forgetting about that. Same thing for today's game. We will have to analyse what we could have done better and then focus on the semi-final. Just what we needed ahead of that semi-final I think.
Not really, can't always control that thing. Happy to play England. I think we are used to face them in semis in 50-over World Cups. Hopefully, we can come out on top this time."
Biggest defeats for South Africa in Womenās ODI World Cups (by balls remaining): 243 vs England, Cuttack, 2013 (50 Over) (T-78) 215 vs England, Guwahati, 2025 (50 Over) (T-70) 199 vs Australia, Indore, 2025 (50 Over) (T-98) (This Match) 150 vs Australia, Lincoln, 2000 (50 Over) (T-170) 145 vs India, Pretoria, 2005 (50 Over) (T-81) 132 vs India, Patna, 1997 (50 Over) (T-81)
Heaviest defeats for South Africa in WODIs (by balls remaining):
243 vs England, Cuttack, 2013 (50 Over) (T-78)
215 vs England, Guwahati, 2025 (50 Over) (T-70)
213 vs New Zealand, Hamilton, 1999 (50 Over) (T-97)
212 vs Pakistan, Potchefstroom, 2019 (50 Over) (T-64)
199 vs Australia, Indore, 2025 (50 Over) (T-98) [TODAY]
186 vs Australia, Adelaide, 2024 (50 Over) (T-106)
Alana King (POTM): "I think so, a little bit. I thought we might be able to get a bit of movement, and with the drizzle in that first innings, I actually expected it to slide on a little. But Iām just happy to extract as much as I can from the wicket.
As a bowler, you always want wickets to your name, but I also know I can play a different role if neededāholding one end while the other bowlers come on to take wickets. Thatās happened in the last couple of games, and Iām happy to play whatever role presents itself. As long as Iām playing my role for Australia and hopefully putting us in a good position, thatās what matters.
I think itās just natural variation as well. Iām trying to give it my all with every ball and get as much turn as I can on any pitch I play on. No doubt, some balls are going to hit the leather and slide on, while others hit the stitching or seam and get a bit of extra purchase. But as long as theyāre coming out of my hand properly, thatās all I can control."