Australia’s reputation for resilience was on full display at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday as Beth Mooney and Alana King staged a remarkable recovery to guide their side to a commanding 107-run win over Pakistan in the Women’s ODI World Cup.
It was a game that Pakistan will look back on with both pride and regret. For a large part of the Australian innings, the bowlers had their more fancied opponents on the mat. At 76 for seven, with Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Iqbal, and Rameen Shamim sharing six wickets between them, Pakistan seemed poised for a famous upset. But Mooney had other ideas.
Mooney’s masterclass steadies the ship
The left-hander, unflappable as ever, produced a batting clinic under immense pressure. Her 114-ball 109 was a study in composure and control — an innings that mixed deft touch with strategic aggression. Using nimble footwork and an unrelenting focus on strike rotation, Mooney rebuilt Australia’s innings one over at a time.
Support came first from Kim Garth, whose 47-ball 11 helped settle nerves, and then crucially from Alana King. The leg-spinner turned savior with the bat, smashing an unbeaten 51 off 55 deliveries, including three fours and three sixes. Together, Mooney and King stitched a vital partnership that pushed Australia from despair to dominance.
Their 81-run stand in the final 10 overs transformed the innings, with 53 runs coming in the last five. Diana Baig, usually Pakistan’s most economical pacer, endured a rough day, conceding 74 runs as Australia finished at 221 for nine — a total that looked improbable just an hour earlier.
Pakistan’s chase unravels under pressure
Chasing 222 on a slow, two-paced surface, Pakistan needed composure and partnerships — neither arrived. Sidra Amin showed some resistance with a gritty 35 off 52 balls, but once she departed, the chase lost momentum. Australia’s pace attack, led by Kim Garth (3 for 14), was relentless, exploiting movement off the seam and extracting bounce that Pakistan’s batters failed to negotiate.
From 59 for three, the collapse was swift and inevitable. The lower order folded without a fight, and Pakistan were bundled out for 114 in 36.3 overs. What had begun as a dream opportunity to script a giant-killing ended as a reminder of Australia’s depth and mental toughness.
Turning points and takeaways
Pakistan’s bowlers were exceptional in patches, particularly Nashra Sandhu, whose 3 for 37 kept Australia under pressure. Yet, their inability to finish the job when Australia were seven down proved costly. The final overs — where Australia plundered boundaries with ease — shifted the game’s momentum decisively.
For Australia, Mooney’s century reinforced why she remains one of the most dependable batters in world cricket. Alana King’s all-round brilliance — first rescuing the innings, then applying pressure with the ball — underlined her growing stature as a match-winner.
Final verdict
In the end, Pakistan’s spirit was admirable, but Australia’s structure, experience, and adaptability once again rose to the surface. What could have been one of Pakistan’s most memorable wins in World Cup history turned into another testament to Australia’s ability to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Final Scores:
Australia: 221/9 in 50 overs (Beth Mooney 109, Alana King 51*, Nashra Sandhu 3/37)
Pakistan: 114 in 36.3 overs (Sidra Amin 35, Kim Garth 3/14)
Result: Australia won by 107 runs
Player of the Match: Beth Mooney