Pakistan wins toss and bowl against Australia

Welcome to the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo for what promises to be a compelling clash in the ICC Women's ODI World Cup 2025! The tournament's heavyweights, Australia Women, take on Pakistan Women in Match 9. For the defending champions, led by the dynamic Alyssa Healy, this is a chance to build on their commanding opening win against New Zealand, and put the frustration of a rain-affected washout against Sri Lanka behind them.

With a batting line-up that showed incredible depth against the Kiwis, recovering from a difficult position thanks to an Ashleigh Gardner masterclass, Australia is poised to dominate.

The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 is picking up pace with every passing match, and Colombo now readies itself for its fourth fixture as the seven-time world champions, Australia Women, take on Pakistan Women in Match 9.

Pakistan Women have won the toss and will bowl first.

Both teams have started their journeys on completely different notes. Australia began their campaign with a commanding victory over New Zealand, while Pakistan, after two consecutive defeats, are in search of a turnaround that could breathe life into their tournament.

For the Women in Green, this will be their third outing in Colombo, and the stakes could not be higher. A setback here might push them to the bottom of the table and leave them playing catch-up for the rest of the campaign.

The biggest concern remains their inconsistent batting, which has yet to click as a unit. Whether it was the 129-run collapse against Bangladesh or the unsuccessful chase against India, their frailties have been laid bare.

They now stand at a crossroads, needing their batters to step up and steady the ship, because as the saying goes, ‘you can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.’

PAKISTAN WOMEN: Muneeba Ali, Sadaf Shamas, Sidra Amin, Eyman Fatima (In for Aliya Riaz), Natalia Pervaiz, Fatima Sana (C), Sidra Nawaz (WK), Rameen Shamim, Diana Baig, Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Iqbal.

AUSTRALIA WOMEN: Alyssa Healy (C)(WK), Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, Georgia Wareham (In for Darcie Brown), Alana King, Kim Garth, Megan Schutt (In for Sophie Molineux).