In the second semifinal of the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, held in Navi Mumbai, Phoebe Litchfield caused total chaos to the Indian women team. The young player created history with her maiden international century (from just 77 balls) and with the support of team captain Alyssa Healy, she completely destroyed India’s chances at the start of the match.
Moving from the celebration of Phoebe Litchfield’s incredible knock to the fast centuries, here is a list of the four female batters who shared the record of the fastest centuries in ICC Women’s World Cup knockout matches.
4. Alyssa Healy – 91 balls vs West Indies, 2022
Alyssa Healy, the Australian opener, scored a century off 91 balls against West Indies in the first semifinal of the 2022 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup played at the Basin Reserve, Wellington. The attacking right-hand batsman scored 129 runs off just 107 balls and hit 17 boundaries and one six during her innings against prominent bowlers like Hayley Matthews and Deandra Dottin. The Wellington epic of Alyssa Healy helped Australia post the mammoth score of 305-3 in a 45-over knockout game, leading to a 157-run victory over West Indies. The veteran opener was also rightly awarded the ‘Player of the Match’ accolade for her contribution as Australia advanced to yet another World Cup final.
3. Nat Sciver-Brunt – 90 balls vs Australia, 2022
The resolute middle-order batter of England, Nat Sciver-Brunt, turned out to be the lone rebel of her team against the blood-thirsty Australian side during the final of the 2022 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup played at Hagley Oval in Christchurch. After the spectacular innings of Alyssa Healy (170 off 138 balls), the English team set a whopping target of 357 runs. Nat scored 148 not out off 121 balls, hitting 15 fours and a six to achieve a striking rate of 122.31 on that memorable evening.
She heightened her hundred from just 90 balls to be one of the fastest-ever centuries scored in the ICC Women’s World Cup knockout fixtures’ history.
Even the strife of Nat Sciver-Brunt could not save the otherwise unevenly matched English team that succumbed to Australia who won the match by 71 runs and thus claimed their seventh World Cup title.
2. Harmanpreet Kaur – 90 balls vs Australia, 2017
It was in the semi-final of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2017 when the Indian batter, Harmanpreet Kaur, who dazzled with her bat, got to know her then-leaders new Australian opponents. Kaur, playing at the number four position, and in a 42-over-a-side match, scored a whopping 171* off 115 balls with the help of 20 four’s and 7 six’s as the Indian team reached 281/4 in 42 overs.
Harmanpreet Kaur managed to hit 103 runs from the last 40 balls of her innings which disappointed the Australians’ chances of making yet another final. Besides presenting India’s 36-run victory in the match, Harmanpreet’s colossal inning of 171 is also the highest individual score recorded in Women’s World Cup knockout matches, ranking still.
1. Phoebe Litchfield – 77 balls vs India, 2025
The young Australian batter Phoebe Litchfield’s record of scoring the fastest-ever century in Women’s World Cup knockouts was unequivocally smashed by huge margin. In a match that marked the comeback of senior partner and legendary opener Alyssa Healy after an injury, Litchfield adorned the limelight with her stormy 77-ball century and later netted 119 runs from 93 balls against India in the second semifinal of the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.
The 22-year-old hit 17 scorching fours and three massive sixes off a well-performing Indian bowling line-up at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
Phoebe Litchfield’s violent batting displayed a very good support to Australia in their ongoing title-defense.
