As Australia gear up to defend their ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup crown, all eyes are on how Alyssa Healy’s side will line up when they face arch-rivals New Zealand on October 1 in Indore. Offering her insights on The ICC Review, World Cup-winning captain Meg Lanning revealed the XI she believes could set the tone for Australia’s title defence.
Dynamic Opening Pair
Lanning opted for a blend of experience and youthful flair at the top of the order.
“You’ve got Healy and Litchfield, who have shown recently that they’re a really dynamic partnership,” she said, backing the wicketkeeper-batter Alyssa Healy and rising star Phoebe Litchfield to give Australia strong starts.
A Middle Order
The middle order, as Lanning pointed out, almost selects itself. Proven match-winners such as Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Ash Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, and Tahlia McGrath provide depth, stability, and all-round firepower. Mooney’s ability to keep wickets also adds a valuable backup option behind the stumps.
“The batting lineup sort of takes care of itself with Perry, Mooney, Gardner, Sutherland, and McGrath rounding it out,” Lanning explained.
Bowling Puzzle for Australia
While the batting unit looks settled, Lanning admitted that the biggest question mark lies in the bowling attack.
Australia boast genuine pace in Darcie Brown, along with the leg-spin duo of Alana King and Georgia Wareham—all of whom bring different strengths depending on conditions. Seam option Kim Garth is also in contention.
“I think the conditions will play a big part. If it spins a lot, they may go with an extra spinner. But if the quicks are likely to be effective, you’ve got Darcie Brown and Kim Garth to call on,” Lanning noted.
Respect for Rivals
Australia’s opening clash will be anything but straightforward. Lanning highlighted the threat posed by New Zealand, who arrive with momentum after their 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup triumph.
“They’ve shown they can perform on the big stage. Whenever we played them, it was always a big game because they’ve got dangerous players who know how to win matches,” Lanning said.
Australia will open their ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 campaign against New Zealand on October 1 at Holkar Stadium, Indore. With both teams carrying championship pedigree, the Trans-Tasman rivalry promises to be one of the highlights of the group stage.