Indore: In the seventh match of the Women’s World Cup 2025, South Africa crushed New Zealand by 6 wickets at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. South African opener Tazmin Brits created history with a magnificent century, breaking a major world record previously held by India’s Smriti Mandhana.
After losing their first match to England, South Africa bounced back in spectacular fashion, delivering a dominant all-round performance. Winning the toss and opting to bat first, New Zealand were bowled out for 231 runs in 47.5 overs. Skipper Sophie Devine top-scored with 85 runs, while Brooke Halliday contributed 45 runs.
For South Africa, left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba was exceptional, taking 4 wickets for 40 runs.
Tazmin Brits’ Record-Breaking Century
Chasing 232, South Africa reached the target comfortably in 40.5 overs, thanks to a blistering innings from Tazmin Brits, who scored 101 runs off just 87 balls and was named Player of the Match.
With this century, Brits achieved several remarkable milestones:
- Broke Smriti Mandhana’s World Record: This was Brits’ fifth ODI century in the 2025 calendar year, making her the first woman cricketer in the world to score five ODI centuries in a single year. She surpassed Smriti Mandhana, who had scored four centuries each in 2024 and 2025.
- Surpassed Meg Lanning: Brits reached her seventh ODI century in just 41 innings, becoming the fastest woman to achieve this feat, breaking Meg Lanning’s record, who took 44 innings.
Brits was superbly supported by Sune Luus, who remained unbeaten on 83 runs. Together, they built a record 159-run partnership for the second wicket.
Other Milestones from the Match
- The match marked Suzie Bates’ 350th international appearance, making her the first woman cricketer to reach this milestone.
- Sophie Devine also played her 300th international match.
With this victory, South Africa opened their account in the tournament, while New Zealand suffered their second consecutive defeat.
Tazmin Brits Breaks Records of Mandhana and Lanning
In the match, South African batter Tazmin Brits played a brilliant innings of 101 runs, registering her seventh ODI century. She achieved this milestone in just 41 innings, the fastest by any woman cricketer. The previous record was held by Australia’s Meg Lanning, who took 44 innings to reach seven centuries.
Additionally, this was Brits’ fifth century of the 2025 calendar year, setting a new world record for the most ODI centuries in a single year. The previous record was held by India’s Smriti Mandhana, who had scored four centuries each in 2024 and 2025.
Women’s World Cup 2025 Points Table
South Africa currently stands fifth on the points table, with one win and one loss from their two matches. India leads the table with 4 points, followed by Australia in second place with 3 points, as one of their matches was abandoned due to rain. Meanwhile, Bangladesh holds the fourth position with one win from one match.
It is worth noting that the tournament is being played in a round-robin format, meaning each team will face every other team once. The top four teams from the league stage will qualify for the semifinals.
In today’s fixture, England and Bangladesh will face each other.
