Batters dominate record-breaking Women’s World Cup

By Nicolai Nayak

The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 turned out to be a run fest like no other.

Co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, the tournament saw boundaries flow freely, sixes sail deep into the stands and records that once stood tall being casually rewritten. It was a World Cup where batters reigned supreme as run rates soared to new highs and chases once thought impossible became a routine.

In a different twist for the first time, neither England nor Australia featured in the final, paving the way for a new champion to emerge. That honour went to India, who secured a memorable win over South Africa to lift the title.

Records broken by champions India in CWC25 final

But it wasn’t just the final, every match had its share of drama and underlined how far the women’s game has come in terms of skill, intensity and entertainment. Together, it shaped a World Cup that will be remembered as one of the most thrilling editions ever played.

As the dust settles on the tournament, it’s time to revisit the remarkable batting records that were rewritten over the past few weeks.

Most individual centuries

Across 31 matches, there were 15 individual centuries recorded, surpassing the 14 scored in 2017.

South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt stood out with two centuries, both in the knockout matches. Her 169 against England in the semi-final was the highest score of the tournament, bettering Alyssa Healy’s 142 against India.

She then followed it up with a 101 in the final against India, giving her side a real shot at the title. Wolvaardt also became only the second batter to score a hundred in both the semi-final and final of a World Cup after Healy achieved the feat in 2022.

Australia’s Healy and Ash Gardner also recorded two centuries each alongside Wolvaardt, showcasing the batting firepower that defined this World Cup.

Most 300-plus totals

The tournament saw eight 300-plus totals, the most in any edition and double the number from 2022.

India featured in three of those matches, with all three ranking among the top three highest aggregate games of the tournament. This edition on the marquee tournament also produced the two highest run chases in women’s cricket history, both involving India and Australia.

In the league stage, Australia pulled off a record-breaking chase of 330, winning by three wickets with six balls to spare. That effort smashed the previous world record chase of 302 by Sri Lanka against South Africa in 2024 and the earlier Women’s World Cup record of 278 by Australia against India in 2022.

But India bettered that in the semi-final, as they chased down Australia’s 338, posting 341/5 to seal victory with nine balls remaining, a new high for women’s ODIs and one of India’s most iconic wins.

Record sixes

Fearless batting throughout the tournament led to a record 133 sixes, 22 more than the previous best from 2017.

Richa Ghosh struck a joint-record of 12 sixes in the tournament, hitting four of them in the knockouts, two each in the semi-final and final respectively. Nadine de Klerk followed with 10 sixes, the only other player to reach double digits.

India and South Africa led the power-hitting charts with 35 sixes each while Australia’s 24 took the combined tally of the three teams close to a hundred.

Highest aggregate score

India’s semi-final win over Australia produced 679 runs in total, the highest aggregate in Women’s ODI World Cup history, surpassing the 678 between England and South Africa in 2017.

The total of 679 was also the second-highest aggregate in any women’s ODI, behind the 781 runs scored in Delhi earlier this year, another India-Australia classic where Australia posted 412 and bowled India out for 369.

The semi-final aggregate score narrowly bettered the league stage total of 661 between the same sides when Australia chased down 330.

India were also part of another high aggregate game, with 611 runs scored in their league-stage match against New Zealand. India posted 340/3, their highest first-innings total of the tournament, eventually prevailing in a must-win game against New Zealand which they won by 53 runs (DLS) to reach the semi-finals.

Most centuries by a team

Australia batters piled up six centuries, the most by any team in a single edition with Healy and Gardner scoring two each. Gardner's century against England was also the fastest in the tournament, where she scored an unbeaten 104 off 73 balls.

For the former World Cup champions, Beth Mooney and Phoebe Litchfield added to Healy and Gardner’s tally, making it six in total.

Players from five teams registered hundreds including the four semi-finalists and New Zealand, thanks to Sophie Devine’s effort.

South Africa and India hit three centuries each while England managed two.

Most runs by a batter

Laura Wolvaardt’s consistency was second to none. She topped the charts with 571 runs, the most by a batter in a single edition, also earning her the No 1 spot in the ICC Women’s ODI batter rankings.

Her tally included a tournament high of 73 fours and two centuries. She also scored three fifties in the group stage, the joint-highest in the campaign along with India’s Deepti Sharma who won the Player of the Tournament.

Wolvaardt then went on to amass a record 336 runs in World Cup knockouts, proving her ability to step up when it mattered most.