Australia continued their unbeaten run by handing England their first defeat of the tournament.
When Ashleigh Gardner walked in to bat at No. 6, Australia were in deep trouble, having lost four wickets for just a few runs. But the all-rounder produced a magnificent counterattack, smashing a record-breaking century. Alongside Annabel Sutherland, she guided Australia to a remarkable win over England.
In Wednesday’s Women’s ODI World Cup clash, Australia sealed a six-wicket victory.
Chasing 245 in Indore, the Aussies were reeling at 68 for 4. From there, Gardner and Sutherland rescued the innings, putting together an unbroken 180-run stand off 148 balls for the fifth wicket, taking Australia home with 57 balls to spare.
This partnership is now Australia’s highest for the fifth wicket or lower in Women’s ODIs. The previous record was an unbeaten 151-run stand between Joanne Broadbent and Bronwyn Calver against Ireland in Dublin back in 1998.
Gardner, the top-ranked all-rounder in ODIs, scored an unbeaten 104 off just 73 balls, hitting 16 fours. She reached her century in 69 deliveries — the fastest century in Women’s ODI World Cup history. Gardner broke Deandra Dottin’s 71-ball record, which the West Indies star set against Pakistan in Leicester during the 2017 edition.
This was Gardner’s second century of the tournament. Earlier, in Australia’s opening match at the same venue against New Zealand, the 28-year-old off-spinning all-rounder hit 115 from 83 balls.
Remarkably, all three of Gardner’s ODI centuries have come while batting at No. 6 — a record no other player has matched from that position or lower.
Before her heroics with the bat, Gardner also impressed with the ball, taking 2 wickets for 39 runs in 9 overs. Despite her brilliance, she wasn’t named Player of the Match. That honor went to Annabel Sutherland, who took 3 for 60 from 10 overs and scored an unbeaten 98 off 112 balls.
Sutherland was close to a century herself. With just 4 runs needed for victory, she moved to 98 by taking three runs off Sophie Ecclestone’s first two deliveries of the over. But Gardner finished the job with a boundary off the next ball, sealing the win.
With England’s loss, Australia remain the only unbeaten team in the tournament, registering their fifth win in six matches. England, having already qualified for the semifinals, experienced their first defeat of the campaign. Both teams still have one group-stage match left to play.
