Two teams looking to get their first wins of the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup clash in Match 7; both New Zealand and South Africa suffered heavy defeats in their respective openers.
For this game, here are our preview and predictions.
New Zealand faced Oceanic rivals Australia in their opener. Ashleigh Gardner’s century saw Australia put up a daunting total of 326, though Sophie Devine would feel that her side let the Aussies off the hook. Thanks to Amelia Kerr and Lea Tahuhu, NZ had them in a choke hold at 192/6 but were unable to close out the innings. The Indore strip will offer more something for the slower bowlers, and Devine will expect her experienced bowling unit to step up.
The Kiwis’ horror batting show saw both openers depart for ducks, and barring a fighting 112 by captain Devine, no other batter crossed 35. New Zealand were bundled out for 237 and suffered an 89-run defeat. Devine knows there is plenty of experience and depth in the squad to do better and fight back in the coming games.
While New Zealand put up some semblance of fight against Australia, the same cannot be said for South Africa, who had an even more horrific opening to the tournament. Bowled out for a paltry 69 — their third-lowest all-time WODI total — the Proteas saw only Sinalo Jafta cross the double-digit mark as the remaining batters failed to come to terms with the pace of the Guwahati wicket. The SA bowlers barely had anything to defend and failed to take a single English wicket in response.
The Indore strip will be another slow pitch, which South Africa will quickly need to adapt to. Given the depth and experience across all departments in the two camps, the New Zealanders are our favourites for the win here.
Fantasy XI: Suzie Bates, Laura Wolvaardt, Amelia Kerr (vc), Tazmin Brits, Suné Luus, Sophie Devine (c), Nadine de Klerk, Isabella Gaze (wk), Marizanne Kapp, Lea Tahuhu, Bree Illing
Venue: Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore
Winners Prediction: New Zealand
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