The seventh fixture in the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 has New Zealand and South Africa clashing at the Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore, on October 6. Kick-off will be at 3:00 PM IST, giving the teams a late afternoon slot for this key match where both sides are hurrying to regain form, following an opening-day defeat. With both teams striving to build momentum, this clash might be a turning point for both teams in their respective tournament campaigns.
Recent Outings: New Zealand
The New Zealand campaign started on a hard note against Australia. They elected to field first and had the defending champions wobbling at 128/5 before Ashleigh Gardner smashed a career-best 115 to set a total of 327. In a losing effort, Sophie Devine stood tall with 112(112), supported by small cameos of 33 off 56 balls by Amelia Kerr and 28 off 18 balls by Isabella Gaze, as the White Ferns were bowled out for 237.
New Zealand’s 2025 has been short and mixed so far, with only a couple of ODI matches held prior to the World Cup. New Zealand won that series 2-0 against Sri Lanka this year after the first ODI was washed out. Following this, the White Ferns trounced them in the next two games by 78 and 98 runs.
Read Also:- Indian Women’s Best Bowling Figures Against Pakistan
Going into the tournament, however, New Zealand was far from consistent. They lost both warm-ups – 4 wickets to India A under the DLS method, and 4 wickets to India also under the DLS method – and so, the White Ferns will look to gain their rhythm and confidence back with this crucial game against South Africa.
Recent Outings: South Africa
South Africa endured an even tougher start against England. Batting first, South Africa collapsed for a mere 69 runs, with Sinalo Jafta’s score of 22 off 36 the only one in double figures. With practically nothing to defend, England comfortably chased the target, winning by 10 wickets.
The route to the World Cup has been anything but straightforward for South Africa. In the Tri-Nation Series against India and Sri Lanka, they won just one out of four matches. Momentum was back during the West Indies tour in June, where they managed a 2-1 series win. Then, in September, they toured Pakistan, where they continued their winning ways with another series win of 2-1. Their warm-up fixtures consisted of a washout and a win by four wickets, instilling great belief in them upon their arrival at the World Cup.
Head to Head:
Matches Played: 20
New Zealand Victories: 12
South African Victories: 8
New Zealand have generally maintained the edge over South Africa in ODIs, having won12 out of the 20 meetings so far. Their most recent clash was during New Zealand’s 2023 tour of South Africa, in which the latter won the series 2-1.
After early setbacks, both sides are seeking a comeback. Pitch conditions should favor stroke play, so every batting partnership will be vital. Both teams will now face that crunch fixture as they hunt down their first win.
