Two centurions, two contrasting emotions. Australia’s Ashleigh Gardner and New Zealand’s Sophie Devine lit up the Women’s ODI World Cup clash at the Holkar Stadium on Wednesday, but only one finished on the winning side.

Gardner’s brilliant 115, full of calculated aggression and composure, rescued Australia from a wobble at 128 for five and carried the defending champion to a formidable 326. For New Zealand, Devine’s perseverant 112 offered resistance and pride, but it could only narrow the eventual margin of defeat to 89 runs.

“It is pretty bittersweet, to be fair. I would throw it all away to make sure we won,” Devine admitted at the post-match presentation. “The thing I am most proud of is the fight this team showed. A couple of years ago, we would have thrown in the towel and been skittled out for 150.”

Still visibly drained after her marathon effort, Devine reiterated the point later at the press conference. “Despite the loss, we pushed the world champs pretty hard, and we got them nervous at different times, which doesn’t happen often,” she said.

“At different stages, different people are going to stand up in this group… when it’s your day, you have to really take control of the game.”

Flexing depth

Gardner, meanwhile, spoke of the trust and freedom that comes with Australia’s deep batting order. “We genuinely bat all the way down. We have that freedom and that confidence within our group that even if we are five (down) for not too many, we have the players to come in and change the game,” she said.

Her own approach reflected that mindset. “I was just being really proactive by taking the positive options.

Because if I go into my shell, that’s probably when I won’t bat the best… it was about sticking to my strengths. Yes, the scoreboard was saying something, but I was trying to take that out of it.”

At the end of the day, the scoreboard separated Australia’s victory from New Zealand’s defeat. Yet Gardner’s poise and Devine’s grit combined to deliver a memorable showcase of batting at the highest level.

Published on Oct 02, 2025