Pakistan's start to their Women's ODI World Cup 2025 campaign has been disastrous as they suffered yet another defeat in the marquee event, losing to the defending champions Australia at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Wednesday, October. Fatima Sana-led side lost by 107 runs against Australia, registering their third successive defeat in the tournament.

With a 222-run target, Pakistan batters crumbled under pressure at the start of the innings as they were bundled out for 114 in 36.3 overs. Veteran batter Sidra Amin led the Women in Green's run chase with an innings of 35 off 52 balls, but did not receive solid support from the other end to steady Pakistan's ship. Apart from Amin, none of the batters could score 20 or more runs in the run chase.

For Australia, Kim Grath led the bowling attack with a spell of 14/3 at an economy rate of 2.30 in six overs. Megan Schutt (2/25) and Annabel Sutherland (2/15) picked two wickets. Apart from Grath, Schutt, and Sutherland, Alana King, Ash Gardner, and Georgia Wareham also contributed to Australia's bowling by taking a wicket each.

Pakistan's Shambolic Batting Haunts Again

Pakistan's middle-order issue has been glaring throughout the tournament, repeatedly failing to build partnerships at crucial moments. This can be evidenced by their first two matches of the World Cup against Bangladesh and India, respectively. In the clash against the Women in Blue, they were reduced from 95/4 to 159 all-out, losing six wickets in 64 runs.

Despite the middle-order fragility in the last two matches, Pakistan did not learn from Pakistan did not learn from their mistakes, as a similar collapse was witnessed in the match against Australia. In their 222-run chase, Pakistan were reduced to 31/5 in 8.4 overs, losing half of their side in the powerplay, which completely derailed their run chase and left the lower order with an impossible task.

A neat low catch! Megan Schutt strikes & Muneeba Ali makes her way back & PAK lose both thier openers!Catch the LIVE action ➡ 25 AUS PAK | LIVE NOW on Star Sports & JioHotstar! twitter/qdCMX6vbkX

- Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) October 8, 2025

CASTLED! The Australian bowlers are on a rampage as Kim Garth bags her third wicket!Catch the LIVE action ➡ 25 AUS PAK | LIVE NOW on Star Sports & JioHotstar! twitter/3sXk0XQydt

- Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) October 8, 2025

Amid the collapse, Sidra Amin stood up for Pakistan, keeping the hopes of chasing down the target. The side was at 49/6 when Amin and Rameen Shamim steadied the ship before the former's stay at the crease ended at 78/7, eventually dashing slimmer hopes of defeating Australia. Thereafter, Daina Baig was dismissed for 7 at 86/8.

Another one bites the dust! ‍A crucial breakthrough by Ash Gardner as Pakistan's anchor Sidra Amin walks back!Catch the LIVE action ➡ 25 AUS PAK | LIVE NOW on Star Sports & JioHotstar! twitter/NEY3YQtu1g

- Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) October 8, 2025

The least Pakistan could do was go past the 100–run mark, which came courtesy of some late resistance from the tail-enders, especially Rameen Shamim and Nashra Sandha, who shared a 25-run stand for the ninth wicket before the latter was dismissed at 111/9. Pakistan's run chase came to an end after Shamim was dismissed at 114 all-out, bringing yet another disappointing finish to their innings.

The top and middle-order collapse proved costly again for Pakistan as it exposed their inability to handle pressure and convert starts into meaningful partnerships, leading to another one-sided defeat in their World Cup campaign.

Pakistan's Batting Solely Responsible for Team's Defeat

If we look at Pakistan's overall performance in the Women's World Cup so far, their bowling has shown glimpses of promise, but the lack of consistency and resilience in the batting unit has been the primary reason behind their string of defeats.

In the match against Australia, Pakistan bowlers were quite exceptional as they restricted the defending champions to 221/9 despite Beth Mooney's fighting century (109) and her 106-run stand with Alana King (51*), but the batters once again failed to capitalise on the bowlers' disciplined effort. The middle-order stability that Pakistan desperately needed never arrived, as quick wickets and poor shot selection undid the bowlers' hard work.

Pakistan in the 2025 Women's World Cup so far:129 all out vs Bangladesh (Lost)159 all out vs India (Lost)114 all out vs Australia (Lost)#AUSvPAK #AUSvsPAK #AUSWvPAKW #AUSWvsPAKW #WomensWorldCup #WomensWorldCup2025 #CWC2025 #CWC25 twitter/dRpj1cr79I

- Saabir Zafar (@Saabir_Saabu01) October 8, 2025

Pakistan's leading run-getter of the ongoing Women's World Cup 2025 is Sidra Amin with 116 runs, including a fifty, at an average of 38.66 in three matches. While the second best is Natalia Pervaiz, with 43 in many matches. This highlights the massive gulf in contribution between Pakistan's top performer and the rest of the batting lineup.

Pakistan's batting performance has been heavily reliant on individual brilliance, with the top order failing to provide solid starts, while the middle-order repeatedly collapsing under pressure, leaving the team unable to post or chase competitive totals in crucial World Cup encounters.

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