Beth Mooney has produced one of the grittiest innings of her career, hauling Australia out of the mire against Pakistan to set up an ultimately comprehensive 107-run World Cup win in Colombo.
Battling the Sri Lankan heat and humidity, Mooney rescued Australia from deep trouble at 7-76, scoring 109 from 114 deliveries and sharing key partnerships with Kim Garth (11 off 47) and Alana King (51no from 49) to post 9-221 at R Premadasa Stadium.
Garth and new-ball partner Megan Schutt then left Pakistan’s top-order in tatters, the former taking 3-14 from six overs to help reduce Fatima Sana’s team to 6-49 inside 13 overs.
Pakistan, who earlier in the day had been dreaming of one of the biggest upsets in Women’s ODI World Cup history, were eventually bowled out for 114 in 36.3 overs.
With two wins and a washout under their belts, Australia now return to India for the remainder of the tournament, and will board a charter flight on Thursday bound for Visakhapatnam, where they will meet hosts India in a crucial showdown on Sunday.
Concerning for Australia on Wednesday was a second consecutive collapse at this tournament. Where they had been in a tremulous position at 5-128 against New Zealand, their predicament was bigger again against Pakistan at 7-76 in the 22nd over.
But No.4 Mooney was rock solid, assuredly navigating Pakistan’s spinners as she kept the scoreboard ticking despite the wickets tumbling at the other end, bringing up her half-century from 63 deliveries.
For a second time this World Cup, Garth was a wall at the other end, helping Mooney to sap momentum from Pakistan’s attack during their 39-run, 12.3-over eighth-wicket stand. Although Garth needed a review to overturn an lbw decision and was even more fortunate to narrowly avoid being run out returning for a risky second when Pakistan skipper Fatima failed to get back behind the stumps.
King then joined Mooney at 8-115 in the 34th over and produced a first composed, then explosive hand to take the Australian innings past 200.
It was only in the 47th over that Mooney started to expand, bolting into the 90s with back-to-back boundaries off Diana Baig.
The Queenslander raised the bat for her fifth ODI century, and her first in a World Cup, then Mooney and King exploded in the final overs.
King, who at one point was 16 from 34 deliveries, hammered a trio of sixes to bring up her first one-day fifty off 46 balls – becoming the first woman to hit an ODI half-century batting at No.10 or lower in the process.
Australia piled on 53 runs from the final four overs before Mooney was dismissed on the final ball of the 50th over.
Their 106-run partnership was a record for the ninth wicket in women’s ODIs, eclipsing the previous best of 77 shared by teammates Garth and Ashleigh Gardner against South Africa last year.
Earlier, Pakistan’s spinners did the bulk of the damage to have Australia seemingly on the ropes.
Alyssa Healy started brightly with three boundaries before flicking a simple catch to midwicket on 20, continuing her lean run, and opening partner Phoebe Litchfield (10) followed four balls later, skying a return catch to Fatima Sana.
Left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu (3-37) outfoxed Ellyse Perry, who was stumped for five, bowled Annabel Sutherland (1) with a straight one, then had Tahlia McGrath caught for five.
Off-spinner Rameen Shamim (2-29) meanwhile had Gardner, the hero of Australia’s win over New Zealand, chipping a simple catch to midwicket for one before she got Georgia Wareham for a duck.
After all the drama of Australia’s innings, Pakistan’s hopes of a maiden win over their rivals rapidly evaporated as their top-order crumbled against the new-ball pairing of Garth and Schutt.
The pair shared the wickets between them to reduce Pakistan to 5-31 inside the first nine overs.
Garth got the initial breakthrough via a review in her second over; after a massive appeal for caught behind was turned down by the on-field umpires, Australia went upstairs and UltraEdge showed a clear spike, with Sadaf Shamas gone for five.
Wicketkeeper-batter Sidra Nawaz (5) was also caught by Healy, before Garth knocked over Eyman Fatima’s stumps.
At the other end, Schutt celebrated her recall to the Australia XI with figures of 2-25, removing opener Muneeba Ali (3), who was well caught by a diving Sutherland at mid-off, then had Natalia Parvaiz (1) caught by Mooney at slip.
From 5-31 in the ninth over, Pakistan then slipped to 6-49 when Sutherland struck with her fourth ball of the day as Pakistan skipper Fatima chopped on.
A day that had started so brightly for Pakistan had rapidly become a nightmare and it only got worse when Gardner picked up the key wicket of the in-form Sidra Amin (35 off 52) who bunted a simple catch to Sutherland at mid-off.
At 7-78 in the 22nd, Pakistan were in an eerily similar position to Australia earlier, but without a Mooney or highly-credentialled tail to come.
Tailenders Sundhu and Shamim dug in to show resistance, but their 25-run, 11.2-over vigil ended when the former was caught behind off the bowling of King, before Sutherland took her second to wrap up a comprehensive victory.
2025 Women’s ODI World Cup
Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham
Australia’s group stage matches
October 1: Australia beat New Zealand by 89 runs
October 4: v Sri Lanka: Abandoned without a ball bowled
October 8: Australia beat Pakistan by 107 runs
October 12: v India, ACA-VDCA Stadium Visakhapatnam, 8:30pm AEDT
October 16: v Bangladesh, ACA-VDCA Stadium Visakhapatnam, 8:30pm AEDT
October 22: v England, Holkar Stadium, Indore, 8:30pm AEDT
October 25: v South Africa, Holkar Stadium, Indore, 8:30pm AEDT
Finals
Semi-final 1: Guwahati or Colombo*, October 29, 8:30pm AEDT
Semi-final 2: Mumbai, October 30, 8:30pm AEDT
Final: Mumbai or Colombo*, November 2, 8:30pm AEDT
All matches to be broadcast exclusively live and free on Prime Video.
* All games involving Pakistan to be played in Colombo, including the semi-final and final if they qualify
