New Zealand Sets Unwanted Record in Women’s ODI World Cup
New Zealand has registered an unfortunate milestone in the Women’s World Cup as they recorded their second consecutive defeat in the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025. The White Ferns, who began their campaign with an 89-run loss to Australia, fell to South Africa in their second match held at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Monday, October 6.
Captain Sophie Devine attempted to lead her team in their innings, scoring 85 runs off 98 balls. However, New Zealand struggled to establish a solid target, finishing with a total of 213 runs. Brooke Halliday provided some support with a score of 45 from 37 balls, injecting momentum into the middle overs. Despite these efforts, the White Ferns faced relentless wickets, leaving them short of a competitive total. Nonkululeko Mlaba was particularly effective for South Africa, securing 4 wickets for 40 runs in her 10 overs.
The South African side, led by Laura Wolvaardt, easily chased down New Zealand’s target, achieving the 231 runs needed with six wickets remaining and 55 balls to spare. Tazmin Brits shined with her seventh ODI century, while Sune Luus contributed an unbeaten 81 runs off 114 balls, leading the Proteas to their first victory in the tournament.
With this loss, New Zealand has now surpassed India in terms of the most losses in Women’s ODI World Cup history, with a total of 32 defeats in 89 matches. Previously, India held the record with 31 losses out of 72 matches. New Zealand equaled this mark when they lost to Australia in their opening match, and they have now taken the lead in this unwanted statistic.
Most Losses in Women’s ODI World Cups:
- New Zealand: 32 losses in 89 matches
- India: 31 losses in 72 matches
- Pakistan: 29 losses in 32 matches
- West Indies: 28 losses in 46 matches
- England: 27 losses in 93 matches
