As the start of the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup is near, those who love and play cricket are getting ready for a fun-filled season that will include milestones, record attempts and witnessing something that has never happened before.
With the event taking place in India and Sri Lanka, this tournament is likely to be a groundbreaking moment for women’s cricket, due to its competitiveness and the development of the Women’s ODI World Cup 2026, which will feature more teams and a wider audience around the world.
Most Important Batting Milestones to Follow in the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup
Most ODI runs in a calendar year
| Player | Year | Inns | Runs | Ave | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BJ Clark (AUS-W) | 1997 | 14 | 970 | 80.83 | 3 | 4 |
| S Mandhana (IND-W) | 2025 | 14 | 928 | 66.28 | 4 | 3 |
| L Wolvaardt (SA-W) | 2022 | 18 | 882 | 49.0 | 1 | 8 |
| DA Hockley (NZ-W) | 1997 | 16 | 880 | 62.85 | 2 | 6 |
| A Satterthwaite (NZ-W) | 2016 | 14 | 853 | 85.3 | 3 | 4 |
By 2025, we can expect that the Indian subcontinent hosting the Women’s World Cup will smash some record books. There are many players nearing ‘greatest of all time’ records and it is likely that Suzie Bates, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Nat Sciver-Brunt will feature prominently on the run-scorers’ list.
Historic Batting Achievements in the Women’s ODI World Cup
| Player | Inns | Runs | Ave | 100s | 50s | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SW Bates (NZ-W) | 26 | 1179 | 56.14 | 4 | 5 | 168 |
| H Kaur (IND-W) | 22 | 876 | 51.52 | 3 | 4 | 171* |
| N Sciver-Brunt (ENG-W) | 17 | 805 | 57.5 | 4 | 2 | 148* |
| L Wolvaardt (SA-W) | 15 | 757 | 58.23 | 0 | 9 | 90 |
| TT Beaumont (ENG-W) | 18 | 687 | 38.16 | 1 | 3 | 148 |
| EA Perry (AUS-W) | 22 | 673 | 56.08 | 0 | 6 | 71 |
| SFM Devine (NZ-W) | 22 | 669 | 31.85 | 2 | 2 | 145 |
Debbie Hockley’s Run Record: New Zealand’s Debbie Hockley is the record holder with the most runs in the Women’s World Cup history with 1501 runs. But Suzie Bates is approaching the record with 1179 runs, having only 322 runs left to surpass Hockley.
The Chase by Harmanpreet Kaur and Nat Sciver-Brunt: Harmanpreet Kaur from India (876 runs) and Nat Sciver-Brunt from England (805 runs) are seasoned World Cup competitors who could move up the list. Kaur, in addition to her goal of advancing, is also looking to break history by being the highest six-hitter in Women’s ODI World Cups she is just three sixes away from breaking Deandra Dottin’s mark.
Tazmin Brits’ Outstanding Form: South Africa’s Tazmin Brits has made three successive centuries in her last three innings, a feat equalled only by Amy Satterthwaite in Women’s ODIs. She is poised to surpass Satterthwaite’s record four centuries played in the course of South Africa’s first match in the 2025 World Cup.
Smriti Mandhana: A Star in the Making
Smriti Mandhana, the ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year in 2024, is in scorching form, already having four centuries to her name in 2025, equalling the record for most ODI hundreds in a calendar year.
Throughout the course of the tournament, Mandhana may well break a few records, including becoming only the second woman to reach 5000 career ODI runs, as well as hoping to overtake Meg Lanning’s record of 15 ODI centuries.
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With the Women’s ODI World Cup 2026 looming on the horizon, Mandhana’s quest for excellence might be a compelling narrative in the making of women’s cricket history.
Bowling Milestones to Watch in the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup
When it comes to bowling, veteran bowlers such as Megan Schutt, Marizanne Kapp, and Ellyse Perry are making runs at the current record for the most wickets in Women’s World Cup history.
The ‘record’ is held by Jhulan Goswami with 43 wickets. Both Schutt (34 wickets), Kapp (32 wickets), and Perry (31 wickets) are all very close to reaching this record, and the story could change for Women’s World Cup history by 2025.
Record-breaking Bowlers
Top wicket-getters in the World Cups (among active players)
| Player | Mat | Wkts | Ave | Econ | SR | BBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M Schutt (AUS-W) | 23 | 34 | 25.91 | 4.43 | 35.0 | 3/40 |
| M Kapp (SA-W) | 22 | 32 | 22.87 | 4.56 | 30.0 | 5/45 |
| EA Perry (AUS-W) | 25 | 31 | 25.45 | 4.35 | 35.0 | 3/19 |
| LMM Tahuhu (NZ-W) | 18 | 26 | 22.88 | 4.29 | 32.0 | 4/27 |
| S Ecclestone (ENG-W) | 9 | 21 | 15.61 | 3.83 | 24.4 | 6/36 |
Megan Schutt and Marizanne Kapp: Both are within striking distance of the Jhulan Goswami’s record and are expected to produce high-quality performances in this ODI World Cup.
Sophie Ecclestone: England’s Sophie Ecclestone is only 12 wickets short of becoming her country’s second-highest wicket-taker in Women’s ODIs.
Deepti Sharma’s Milestones: India’s Deepti Sharma, who has 140 wickets, is two wickets short of breaking Neetu David to become India’s second-highest wicket-taker in Women’s ODIs.
As the game progresses towards the Women’s ODI World Cup 2026, these star bowlers will be instrumental in defining the trends of women’s international cricket.
Women’s ODI World Cup 2026: The Road to a New Era
While the 2025 edition will no doubt contain records and memorable occasions, the Women’s ODI World Cup 2026 will see the start of a journey. Expanding the tournament to include more teams will raise the competition as we know it to unprecedented levels and have reach in terms of attracting more nations to this form of cricket.
The Impact of Expansion
In light of having more teams participating in the Women’s ODI World Cup in 2026, this will give a wider audience to play up and coming players and current stars alike and this will promote women’s cricket globally, in addition to creating a better competition with strong coverage and exposure.
The High-Scoring Women’s World Cup in 2025
The batting-friendly conditions on pitches across the subcontinent may lead to a plethora of high-scoring games during the 2025 Women’s World Cup. Established records for total runs and largest chases could also face challenges for example, Australia made 412/3 in 1997.
The rising dominance of batter like Mandhana, Healy, and Bates will ensure the competition is still intense, and the prospect of records for most runs in a calendar year (Mandhana’s 928 runs in 2025), added an extra dimension.
ALSO READ: All You Need To Know About the Women’s ODI World Cup 2026
