The Women's ODI World Cup 2025 has now reached its decisive stage. The super-exciting group stage concluded on Sunday with the last two league matches.
SPORTS NEWS: The excitement of the Women's World Cup 2025 has reached its peak. In the last two league matches played on Sunday, England registered a brilliant eight-wicket victory over New Zealand, while the match between India and Bangladesh was called off due to rain without a result. With this, the picture for the semi-final matches has become clear.
Now, the tournament's semifinals will be played on October 29 and 30. The first semifinal will be held on Wednesday in Guwahati between England and South Africa, while India will face Australia in the second semifinal.
England secures semi-final spot by defeating New Zealand
In the match played in Guwahati on Sunday, the England team delivered a splendid performance, unilaterally defeating New Zealand. The English team shattered New Zealand captain Sophie Devine's dream of making her last ODI match memorable with a victory. After winning the toss and opting to bat first, the New Zealand team was bowled out for just 168 runs in 38.2 overs. England's spin bowlers bowled exceptionally, denying the Kiwi batters the opportunity to play freely. Sophie Devine scored 46 runs in her final match, while the other batters failed to form significant partnerships.
Chasing the target, the England team got off to an excellent start. Amy Jones played an unbeaten innings of 86 runs off 92 balls, which included 11 fours and one six. She formed a 75-run partnership for the first wicket with Tammy Beaumont (40) and an 83-run partnership for the second wicket with captain Heather Knight (33). England scored 172 runs, losing just two wickets, and won the match with 124 balls remaining.
Devine took the last wicket of her career, dismissing Knight, but couldn't secure a victory for her team. This win propels England into the semi-finals with confidence, where they will face hosts South Africa.
India-Bangladesh Match Called Off Due to Rain
On the other hand, the match between India and Bangladesh, scheduled to be played in Navi Mumbai, was washed out due to rain. Due to continuous downpour, the match was called off without a result, and both teams had to share one point each. In this match, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur had won the toss and opted to bowl first. Batting first, the Bangladesh team scored 119 runs for nine wickets in 27 overs. Team India was given a target of 126 runs to win. In response, Indian openers made a steady start, scoring 57 runs without losing any wicket, when heavy rain halted play.
Initially, due to rain, the match had already been reduced to 43 overs per side, but with the return of rain, the number of overs was further reduced to 27 overs per side. Ultimately, the conditions did not improve, and the match had to be called off completely. With this result, India secured their semi-final spot in the points table.
A Glimpse of the Semi-final Matches
The semi-final matches of the Women's World Cup 2025 will be played on October 29 and 30.
- First Semifinal (October 29, Guwahati): England vs South Africa
- Second Semifinal (October 30, Navi Mumbai): India vs Australia
The winning teams from both matches will clash in the final on November 2 in Navi Mumbai. This will be a golden opportunity for the Indian team to make history in front of their home crowd and clinch the World Cup title.
