Australia’s World Cup dominance finally wobbled in Delhi on Thursday, India pinching a tense semi-final by nine runs and ending a run of 27 tournament wins stretching back to 2017. Three defeats in 30 ODIs over the last cycle had masked a few cracks; the loss, Alyssa Healy admitted, dragged them into the open.
“This next four-year cycle leading into the next World Cup is going to be really exciting for our group and potentially see some really cool opportunities for some of the younger players to get greater opportunities in this side,” the captain said, still nursing the disappointment but already looking forward.
Key facts first
• Australia were chasing 267 and fell short at 257 for 9.
• It was their first World Cup defeat in eight years, the previous one also a semi-final loss to India.
• Healy (35) has confirmed this was her last ODI World Cup; Megan Schutt (32) is undecided, while Ellyse Perry turns 35 this week and has not revealed her plans.
• Across the 2022-25 period Australia won 27 of 30 ODIs and claimed the 2022 title unbeaten.
Why the result stings
The attack-first blueprint that sprang from the 2017 defeat – Healy promoted to open, batters told to keep pressing – produced a record winning streak and two global trophies. Losing in familiar fashion, to the same opponents, instantly prompts questions. Have teams now worked them out? Is that hard-going, boundary-hunting approach overdue a tweak?
Healy thinks a jolt can’t hurt. “The opportunity for some of our players to play in a really high-pressure situation like that is going to do wonders for our group,” she said. “This same thing happened in 2017… we reflected on that and thought we could have done things a little bit better under pressure. And I think we made that shift moving forward and we’ve seen it over the last cycle doing that one in 2022.”
A changing dressing-room
If Australia are to reset again, they could be doing it without a core that has defined an era. Healy is done with 50-over World Cups, though she still fancies another T20 campaign. Schutt has hinted the 2029 event is a stretch, remainder of her decision put off until after the next T20 World Cup. Perry, eternal competitor, didn’t bite when asked whether this was her last ODI tournament, saying only that she would “take a breath” before mapping out 2026 and beyond.
Veda Krishnamurthy, part of India’s commentary team this time, captured the mood from the other side. India, she felt, have “done something extremely special” in knocking over a team so rarely beaten. It certainly felt so under the Kotla lights, local fans flooding the outfield once the final ball was bowled.
More ODIs, please
Healy’s bigger concern is game time. Women’s international calendars remain patchy, heavily skewed towards T20. “I hope we see more one-day cricket on the calendar. I think that’s going to be really important in this cycle,” she said. Mandatory ICC Women’s Championship series help but, as she noted, extra bilateral tours sharpen skills and keep newcomers involved.
“And obviously the opportunity to see the next generation come through and play one day cricket the way that they are, the way that they can and really take the game on, which I think we’ve seen towards the back end of this World Cup. I think it’s really exciting times for the women’s game.”
Names to watch
Selectors have already nudged towards renewal. Phoebe Litchfield, 22, looks pencilled in to partner Beth Mooney at the top once Healy eventually steps away completely. Georgia Wareham’s all-round skills grow by the series, and quick bowler Darcie Brown is still only 22. Taking them from prospects to match-winners, without the everyday presence of Healy or Perry, is the challenge.
Numbers behind the narrative
Australia’s middle-over strike rate (overs 20-40) dipped to 4.1 runs an over this World Cup, well below the 5-plus mark they managed in 2022. Powerplay wickets, usually their strength, dried up too: just six across seven matches. Those two areas, analysts inside the camp say, top the to-fix list.
The path ahead
Short-term, a home Ashes is on the horizon. England, buoyed by a semi-final appearance of their own, will sense vulnerability. Then comes the T20 World Cup in South Africa, Schutt’s self-imposed decision point. Beyond that lies a long runway to the 2029 ODI event, likely to be staged in England.
“This is just another re-ignition for our group to say, you know what, we can be better at little moments of the game,” Healy said. The words echoed 2017. Back then they were followed by five blistering years. Whether history repeats depends on how quickly Australia turn Thursday’s sting into substance.
