Ranked world number four, the White Ferns, as they are popularly called, travel to the mammoth carnival of the ICC Women’s World Cup after winning the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2024. This, however, is a very special campaign for the team, as it will be the last ODI tournament for their iconic captain, Sophie Devine, who has played in five ODI tournaments so far and will now bid goodbye to this format. For both her teammates and the fans, this World Cup is an opportunity to give a worthy and memorable farewell to one of the finest ever cricketers the game has seen.
In the lead-up to the World Cup, we shall check how the recent ODI matches played out for New Zealand. A fair journey they have had, but they have faced their share of disappointments.
They finished at the baffling sixth spot on the points table of the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25 with nine wins and twelve losses. While there were moments of resistance, the results clearly showed that the squad needed a lot of work in preparation to actually go down to the very best in the game.
An occasion filled with wonderful moments was marked by the series competition for the only time in 2025, for a few months in March the New Zealand team contested a three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, winning it 2-1 after the first game was rained out. With the first match ending in a no-result, New Zealand beautifully demonstrated its strength in batting in the second ODI. Maddy Green came up with a incredible century that led to a massive 78-run victory. Hannah Rowe, meanwhile, took four wickets as the right-arm seamer, making certain Sri Lanka was never truly a threat in the second innings.
Georgie Plimmer, conversely, came through in the decider, smashing 112 off 120 balls to assemble a treatise 280 on the board. With the outstanding series bowlers being, somewhat unsurprisingly, Jess Kerr and Eden Carson and both with four wickets apiece, the series’ victory offered confidence to New Zealand but also a reminder of that the winning players are scattered across their squad for the upcoming World event.
New Zealand has the hardest possible start in the World Cup campaign, as it faces the defending champions Australia, with seven titles to its name. It is a historic rivalry, although heavily dominated by the Australians, with the two teams having met 135 times. Australia has won on 102 occasions, with New Zealand having won only 31, while two matches ended poorly, with a result not recorded. The White Ferns will then face South Africa, against whom they have enjoyed a good deal of success, having won 12 out of 20 matches.
The next big test comes in the form of India, where the head-to-head is a little tighter- across 57 meetings, New Zealand have edged ahead with 34 wins to India’s 22, with one tied match. Also against England, the record tells the story of a fiercely contended rivalry: in 85 encounters, England leads with 46 wins but New Zealand are hardly far behind, with 37.
By all the data, it is showed that the White Ferns have done and may continue to have a hard time with these teams, but their rivalry has nurtured some of the closest and most competitive matches in women’s cricket.
New Zealand’s Women Schedule – Women’s World Cup 2025
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Start Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 October 2025 | Australia | Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore | 3:00 PM |
| 6 October 2025 | South Africa | Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore | 3:00 PM |
| 10 October 2025 | Bangladesh | Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati | 3:00 PM |
| 14 October 2025 | Sri Lanka | R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo | 3:00 PM |
| 18 October 2025 | Pakistan | R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo | 3:00 PM |
| 23 October 2025 | India | Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai | 3:00 PM |
| 25 October 2025 | England | ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam | 3:00 PM |
New Zealand’s Women Squad – Women’s World Cup 2025
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Sophie Devine (C) | Captain, All-rounder |
| Suzie Bates | Batter |
| Eden Carson | Bowler |
| Flora Devonshire | All-rounder |
| Izzy Gaze | Wicketkeeper |
| Maddy Green | Batter |
| Brooke Halliday | All-rounder |
| Bree Illing | Bowler |
| Polly Inglis | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| Bella James | Batter |
| Jess Kerr | Bowler |
| Amelia Kerr | All-rounder |
| Rosemary Mair | Bowler |
| Georgia Plimmer | Batter |
| Lea Tahuhu | Bowler |




