Despite being reduced to 76 for 7 at one stage, Australia bounced back to claim a commanding 107-run victory over Pakistan on Wednesday in Colombo, thanks to a superb century from Beth Mooney. The left-hander crafted a brilliant 109 off 114 balls—her maiden World Cup ton—to rescue Australia’s innings before Pakistan once again faltered with the bat.
Pakistan fail despite early breakthroughs
Australia began their innings cautiously after being asked to bat, progressing steadily until Alyssa Healy chipped a catch to mid-off off Sadia Iqbal, triggering a rare collapse. The batters struggled to adjust to the sluggish surface, often playing their shots too early and handing simple catches to close-in fielders or the bowler.
Nashra Sandhu and Rameen Shamim took full advantage of the conditions, sharing five wickets between them and dismantling Australia’s middle order to leave the team reeling at 76 for 7 by the 22nd over. Ellyse Perry was stumped while trying to advance down the pitch, whereas Ash Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, and Georgia Wareham all fell to soft dismissals, unable to time their strokes properly.
Beth Mooney, however, read the pitch well and adjusted her game by playing late and selectively. She found dependable support in Kim Garth, who resisted the temptation to attack despite Pakistan’s spinners constantly enticing her with flighted deliveries. Garth survived a close run-out chance when Fatima Sana failed to gather a return in time, allowing her to complete a risky double. The pair steadied the innings for more than 12 overs before Garth was stumped off Sidra Nawaz’s sharp glovework in the 34th over. Nawaz had an impressive outing behind the stumps, barring a difficult dropped chance off Alana King.
Pakistan couldn’t break through Australia’s final three wickets as Beth Mooney’s well-judged aggression, combined with strong support from the lower order, carried the innings deep into the death overs. Alana King unleashed a fierce late assault, with Diana Baig bearing the worst of it, conceding 24 runs in her spell. Fatima Sana was also punished, giving away 21 runs in the last over before dismissing Mooney on the final ball. By then, King had reached her maiden ODI fifty, and together with Mooney, created a record-breaking ninth-wicket stand of 106—the highest in women’s cricket—which lifted Australia to a competitive total of 221 for 9.
Pakistan fold for just 114 runs
Pakistan’s chase never posed a serious challenge as, despite Sidra Amin’s promising start with a few confident boundaries, the Australian seamers struck at regular intervals. Wickets kept falling too frequently, leaving Pakistan struggling at 49 for 6. By the 22nd over, Amin also perished attempting to clear the in-field, with Pakistan slipping to 78 for 7—only slightly better than Australia at the same stage earlier in the match.
Unlike Australia, Pakistan’s lower order couldn’t engineer a fightback. Rameen Shamim and Nashra Sandhu offered brief resistance, batting together for more than 11 overs, but the chase was effectively over. All six Australian bowlers contributed with at least one wicket as Pakistan were bundled out for 114. With three losses in as many matches, Pakistan are still searching for their first win and will next take on table-toppers England, while Australia head to Visakhapatnam to face India on Sunday.
Brief Scores: Australia 221/9 in 50 overs (Beth Mooney 109, Alana King 51*; Nashra Sandhu 3-37, Rameen Shamim 2-29) beat Pakistan 114 in 36.3 overs (SIdra Amin 35, Rameen Shamim 15; Kim Garth 3-14, Annabel Sutherland 2-15) by 107 runs