Australia's middle-order batter Beth Mooney punished a sloppy Pakistan women's side to help their side fight back in the World Cup 2025 match at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The left-handed batter displayed a batting masterclass as her century helped Pakistan bounce back from 76/7 to reach 221 in 50 overs.
The toss had fallen in favour of Pakistan skipper Fatima Sen, who opted to field first. Pakistan had dismissed the Aussie openers cheaply and eventually had the defending champions in all sorts of trouble, reducing them to 76/7. The 39-run partnership between Mooney and Kim Garth was ended by Diana Baig, who tilted the scales in favour of the Women in Green again.
But Mooney kept grinding away and reached the triple-figure mark with a single to long-on in the 48th over of the innings. Alana King also played a brilliant hand of 51 as she added 106 with Mooney, who was dismissed in the last ball of the innings. While Pakistan's fielding was sensational overall, they missed some crucial run-outs, including one of Garth.
Pakistan yet to beat Australia in ODIs
Meanwhile, Pakistan have lost all 16 ODIs to Australia, with their first meeting in World Cups coming in 1997. The Women in Yellow will predictably be fired up after giving themselves a fighting chance to win the contest.
Pakistan, meanwhile, face a steep task not only due to their poor record against Australia but also because they are yet to cross 200 in the two matches of Women's World Cup 2025. The Women in Blue managed 129 against Bangladesh and 159 against India, losing both games comprehensively.
