Mooney's back-to-walls ton takes Australia over 200

After consecutive losses at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, the Fatima Sana-led side square up against the defending champions.

Beth Mooney led Australia's response after Pakistan ran riot with the ball in their ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 clash.

With the defending champions being reduced to eight wickets down at 115, Mooney went on to notch a sensational century, her first at Women's Cricket World Cup.

The left-handed batter displayed an array of shots to keep the scoreboard ticking against the run of play, composing her innings with some confident strokeplay that included nine boundaries.

Earlier, Pakistan bowlers made impressive inroads against the seven-time Women's Cricket World Cup winners. Nashra Sandhu nabbed three wickets, while Rameen Shamim struck a brace. Skipper Fatima Sana, Sadia Iqbal and Diana Baig also got on the wickets tally.

Iqbal would open the floodgates for Pakistan by trapping Australia captain Alyssa Healy into a false shot. The right-hander, looking to flick the ball away, ended up mistiming the shot straight to Diana Baig at mid-wicket.

Shortly afterwards, Sana struck, catching Phoebe Litchfield off her own bowling to make it two wickets for Pakistan inside four deliveries.

Nashra Sandhu then weaved her magic with the ball, producing two magical deliveries to send Ellyse Perry and Annabel Sutherland packing.

Dancing down the track, Perry and was deceived by the flight and turn as wicketkeeper Sidra Nawaz produced a lightning-fast stumping. Sandhu then broke through the gates of Sutherland to make it four wickets for Pakistan.

Sandhu would go on to clinch her third wicket by getting the better of Tahlia McGrath as Pakistan tightened their grip on the defending champions.

From the other end, Rameen Shamim also delivered a brace, getting rid of the in-form Ash Gardner to open her account.

Shamim's second strike was even more impressive as she held onto a low Georgia Wareham catch off her own bowling.

Beth Mooney and Kim Garth showed some resistance with the bat, compiling a resilient partnership to come up with a response after a surge of wickets, helping the team past the 100-run mark. Mooney would go on to bring up a valuable half-century.

But just as Australia seem to be in the midst of recovery, Diana Baig snapped the wicket of Garth, with Sidra Nawaz producing a masterful piece of glovework to stump her out.

Mooney then stitched another crucial partnership with Alana King to bail Australia out of a tricky scenario in Colombo.

Earlier, Pakistan had won the toss and elected to bowl first against Australia for their face off.

The reigning champions Australia will return to action in Colombo after their previous fixture at the venue against Sri Lanka was washed out.

Australia had started their tournament with a big win against trans-Tasman rivals, New Zealand.

Meanwhile Pakistan are coming off successive defeats against Bangladesh and India in their first two fixtures, and will be eyeing their first points at the ongoing tournament.

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).