Another stage in the evolution of women’s cricket

In the afterglow of the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup, the International Cricket Council has announced that it is keen to build on the success of the tournament. It was hosted by India and Sri Lanka and was won for the first time by the former, who beat South Africa in the final. In itself that pairing may come to be seen as the moment when the domination by Australia and England was broken. This would be unfair on New Zealand who won the 2000 edition, beating Australia by four runs. However, the view exists that, for India, with its playing resources underpinned by strong finances and fierce support, the victory heralds the start of a sustained era of success.

The anguished faces of the defeated Australians and their limp body language at the end of their semifinal against India spoke of a recognition that a serious new challenger to their dominance had emerged. Australia has won seven of the 13 Women’s ODI World Cups, England four, including the first one in 1973. The semifinal loss to India was Australia’s first defeat in 16 ODI World Cup matches. It was made worse for them in that India had chased down a record run chase of 339 with nine deliveries remaining.

It is sobering to recall that the early years of the event were beset by funding difficulties, with gaps of up to six years occurring between tournaments. It was not until 2005 that a regular four-year interval was established. The number of participating teams has varied between four in 1978 and 11 in 1997. In 2000 the number was fixed at eight, but the ICC decided, as far back as International Women’s Day 2021, that the number would be expanded to 10 for the 2029 edition. This will increase the number of matches from 31 to 48. The 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup,