On Sunday, 2nd November 2025, at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, a new Women’s World Cup (WWC) champion will be crowned. Australia (7), England (4) and New Zealand (1) will be joined by either South Africa or the hosts India.

It has been a remarkable WWC, right from the start. Team records have been shattered. Finalists India improved their highest WWC score no less than 3 times in the tournament, surpassing their 317/8 vs WI in 2022 against Australia (330 ao), New Zealand (340/3) and Australia again in the semi-final (341/5).

Australia achieved the highest-ever chase in Women’s ODIs when they overcame India’s 330 in Visakhapatnam. Set a record 339 to chase in the semi-final, 25-year-old Jemimah Rodrigues’ first World Cup century propelled India to the final, and a new team record. 

Fellow finalists South Africa have also twice bettered their WWC best of 305/9 vs England in 2017. The first was a mind-boggling 312/9 in 40 overs against Pakistan, who they beat by SA’s WWC record margin of 150 runs. The run-rate of 7.8 per over in a WWC is second only in an innings of 40 overs or more to Australia’s 8.24 vs Denmark in 1997. Then, when it counted the most, they posted 319/7 against England in the semi-final. 

What a semi-final that was, statistically speaking. Laura Wolvaardt’s 169 was her first century in a WWC, and also the first by any captain in a WWC knockout match. Her score went from 100 to 169 in just 28 balls, at a strike rate of 246. In the innings, she went past 5,000 runs in WODIs, only the 6th batter to achieve this. She improved her average to 50.20, the third-highest in WODI’s for batters who have scored more than 2,000 runs in a career. Only legends Meg Lanning and Mithali Raj are ahead of her. Her 10th WODI century puts her joint 5th with Nat Sciver-Brunt for the most centuries in a career. She is the leading run-scorer in this edition of the WWC, with 470 runs, some 81 ahead of Smriti Mandhana. Wolfie is truly batting royalty.

On the bowling front, Marizanne Kapp’s five-for took her to 44 wickets in the WWC, the most of any bowler, overtaking India’s Jhulan Goswami. Her 5/20 is the best ever bowling by a South African at a WWC, bettering her record of 5/45 against England in 2022. It is also her best bowling in a WODI. She now stands at 181 wickets in WODIs, the third-most behind Goswami (255) and our own legend Shabnim Ismail (191). 

There have been so many notable achievements in this WWC, across a number of women’s cricket’s greatest current stars. Tazmin Brits became the first batter to score 5 centuries in WODI’s in a calendar year with her 101 against New Zealand. Ash Gardner has scored the most runs in any WWC (328) by a batter at number 6 or lower. Nadine de Klerk currently has the highest strike rate in this year’s competition at 136.69. Harmanpreet Kaur and Rodrigues’ partnership of 167 against Australia was the highest ever WWC partnership against Australia, and the second highest partnership of all time against Australia in WODIs. 

When the floodlights dim in Navi Mumbai on Sunday, a new name will be engraved on the biggest prize in Women’s cricket. This remarkable 2025 edition will be consigned to history, a history that will be rich in records, achievements, stories and images. These images are from the moments that define a sport, create its heroes and cement its legacy for those to come. Kappie’s celebrations, Jemi’s tears, Wolfie’s calmness, Harman’s determination. The inspiration for the next generation.

Written by: James King