Women’s World Cup 2025: Fans erupt after Australia’s winning streak continues as Annabel Sutherland and Ashleigh Gardner lead flawless chase against England
Australia presented another masterclass in composure and counter-attacking as they beat England by 6 wickets in the 23rd match of ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 at Holkar Stadium, Indore.
Chasing 245, the Australians overcame early nerves to get home in just 40.3 overs, thanks to an extraordinary unbeaten 180-run partnership between Ashley Gardner (104)* and Annabel Sutherland (98)*. The pair not only saved Australia from 68/4, but completely dominated England’s bowlers in a clinical display of power and precision. With the victory, Australia remained undefeated in the tournament and moved to the top of the table with nine points, while England suffered their first defeat after a strong campaign so far.
Women’s World Cup 2025: England’s 244 fail to fight as Australia’s middle order takes charge
Put into bat first, England made 244/9 in their 50 overs, a total which looked competitive but not imposing. Tammy Beaumont led from the front with a well-paced 78 from 105 balls, anchoring the innings after the first wickets. However, consistent breakthroughs from Australia’s disciplined bowling unit kept England in control throughout. Sutherland (3/60) was instrumental in dismissing key hitters including Beaumont and Amy Joneswhile Sophie Molineux (2/52) and Gardner (2/39) hit the brakes in the middle overs. England’s lower order contributed some useful runs, Alice Capseythe quickfire 38 of 32 and Charlie Dean‘s 26 from 27 took the team past the 240-mark, but it never looked like a match-winning score against Australia’s batting depth.
Australia’s chase got off to a shaky start as Lauren Bell And Linsey Smith reduced them to 24/3, removing the top order in six overs. When Beth Mooney fell to 68/4, England sensed a major opening. However, Sutherland and Gardner had other plans.
ALSO WATCH: Women’s World Cup 2025: Lauren Bell produces ‘ball of the tournament’ to dismiss Phoebe Litchfield in AUS vs ENG clash
2025 Women’s World Cup: Annabel Sutherland and Ashleigh Gardner seal the chase with record-breaking partnering masterclass
What followed was one of the most impactful partnerships in recent memory. Sutherland and Gardner rebuilt maturely before exploding in the second half of the innings. Sutherland’s knock of 98 off 112 balls* was a study in composure, she spun strikes beautifully, punished loose deliveries and kept the scoreboard spinning. Gardner, on the other hand, was all fire and flair, making 104 off just 73 deliveries*, hitting 16 fours and maintaining a strike rate of 142.46. Together they neutralized the threat of hijacking England, targeting Sophie Ecclestone And Charlie Dean with a fearless kicking game and ensured that there were no further problems in the chase.
Their unbeaten stand of 180 runs is now Australia’s highest fifth-wicket partnership in women’s ODIs, their highest-ever fifth-wicket stand in women’s ODIs, surpassing the previous best of 151 between Karen Broadbent And Denise Calver. Sutherland was deservedly named Player of the Match for her all-round brilliance, her 3 wickets with the ball and a match-winning *98 with the bat. The victory demonstrated Australia’s dominance in the World Cup, while England will need to regroup quickly after their first defeat to remain in the race for the top two places heading into the knockout stage.
Here’s how fans reacted:
Annabel Sutherland: 98* and 3/60 in 10 overs
Ash Gardner: 104* and 2/39 in 9 overs
Ridiculous. Honestly. This team is unreal. pic.twitter.com/SyXF4B3b9X
ā Vinayakk (@vinayakkm) October 22, 2025
From 68/4 to 248/4. That’s Australia for you. What a partnership between Gardner and Sutherland. Australia Women won easily.#CWC25 pic.twitter.com/OKNYZuyGam
-VIKASH KUMAR (@vkc1000) October 22, 2025
Ash Gardner is such an incredible all-format player that she managed to play a Test, an ODI and a T20Iā¦ all in the same innings batting against England.
Talk about multitasking and being multifaceted. š«” #AUSvENG #CWC25
ā Annesha Ghosh (@ghosh_annesha) October 22, 2025
Australia were 68-4 after 245 and did it so easily that the match ended with them pissing trying to get anyone to a hundred. Ridiculous cricket team
ā Ben Gardner (@Ben_Wisden) October 22, 2025
What an exceptional partnership with Annabel Sutherland and Ash Gardner. BTW, thanks for the odds on Australia-England women #CWC25
ā Cricket Tamizhan (@CricketTamizhan) October 22, 2025
Annabel Sutherland joins the elite list
Guess who is 2nd on the list, current Australia coach Shelley Nitschke
This is how they imbibed and perpetuated a ruthless winning culture.
Something missing in the current Indian team
MAKE ROOM FOR A FOREIGN COACH#CWC25 https://t.co/e1sI7EOYep pic.twitter.com/4PtEfxYC2f
ā Skiddy (@world_choker) October 22, 2025
Don’t think there is a women’s cricket team that can beat this Australian team! Another dominant victory against England!! #AUSvENG #AUSvsENG #ENGvAUS #ENGvsAUS pic.twitter.com/MAR4vRwim8
ā Cricketism (@MidnightMusinng) October 22, 2025
The progress made by Annabel Sutherland in batting and bowling since the 2022 World Cup till date is truly commendable.
He wasn’t even in Australia’s strongest XI at the time, now the first name on the team sheet is probably #CWC25 #AUSvENG
ā Mohit Shah (@mohit_shah17) October 22, 2025
How can we stop these unstoppable Australian women?
The time has come for the world to come together and find a way to defeat this dominant ODI team in women’s cricket!#ICCCWomensWorldCup2025 #AUSvENG #EngvAusā Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) October 22, 2025
Complete masterclass from Annabel Sutherland š#women #cricket #annabelsutherland #CWC25 pic.twitter.com/Ev3XBAGKN4
ā FemmesCricket.com (@WomenCricketHQ) October 22, 2025
WATCH ALSO: Annabel Sutherland cleans Amy Jones with a jaffa in AUS vs ENG Women’s World Cup 2025 clash
This article was first published on WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.
