Navi Mumbai, 31 October (H.S.): Australian captain Alyssa Healy delivered a frank assessment of her team's performance following a stunning semifinal loss to India in the Women's ODI World Cup 2025 on Friday, stating that the defending champions were the architects of their own downfall.In a dramatic encounter, India successfully chased a target of 339 to win the match, marking the highest successful run-chase in the history of women's ODI cricket and booking their place in the final.
It was a good contest, but to be brutally honest, we threw it away, Healy said in the post-match conference. This is probably the first time it feels like we lost the match through our own errors. We failed to finish the innings with the bat, our bowling lacked precision, and we dropped three straightforward catches—yet we still took it to the final over. That shows we fought hard, but ultimately, the better team on the day won.
Australia seemed poised for a commanding total, cruising at 220 for two in the 34th over. However, a sudden collapse saw them lose wickets at regular intervals, eventually being bowled out for 338 in 49.5 overs. Their profligacy in the field proved decisive.
The team dropped three catches, two of which were offered by India's Jemimah Rodrigues, who went on to score a historic, unbeaten 127 to guide her team to a record-breaking victory.
We created opportunities and built pressure, but we just couldn't capitalize on them. I hold myself accountable for that as well, Healy admitted.
Australia has always prided itself on its fielding, but today we fell short of that standard. Perhaps that's why this defeat stings a bit more.
Healy drew parallels between this loss and the team's exit from last year's T20 World Cup semifinal against South Africa. That felt very similar—we just didn't play our brand of cricket. But we will learn from this and improve our one-day game moving forward.
Despite the disappointment, the Australian skipper expressed pride in her team's overall campaign. We played some fantastic cricket throughout the tournament. But a semifinal is a knockout game; if you are slightly off your game on the day, any team can beat you. I am still immensely proud of this group—in every match, a different player stepped up to take responsibility.
Looking ahead, Healy praised the next generation of Australian talent, singling out Phoebe Litchfield for her brilliant century (119) in the semifinal. Phoebe was magnificent. She gave us a great start and then anchored the innings with her hundred. It will be incredibly exciting to watch her and the other young players develop over the next four years.
The 35-year-old captain also confirmed that this was her final appearance in an ODI World Cup. I will not be part of the next ODI World Cup. The next cycle will provide opportunities for younger players, and it is an exciting time for Australian cricket. We will learn from this defeat, become better, and move forward.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
