Rejuvenation, not reinvention, as Aussies lick wounds

30 Oct 2025 Laura Jolly, at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai

Australia kept finding ways to win throughout the World Cup but fell short in the semi-final to leave the team's ICC trophy cabinet bare for the first time in eight years

In the immediate aftermath of Australia's shock semi-final loss to India, Alyssa Healy was still trying to make sense of what had just played out.

India had just reeled in a world record target of 339 to knock the world's most dominant team out of the ODI World Cup, handing Australia their second semi-final loss at an ICC event in the space of 12 months.

India shock Australia with world record run-chase

It's the first time since the introduction of the T20 World Cup in 2009 that Australia have failed to make the final at consecutive ICC tournaments.

After advancing through the round-robin phase unbeaten, Australia's hopes of becoming the first team in 40 years to win back-to-back titles was stopped in its tracks by Jemimah Rodrigues' stunning unbeaten 127.

Healy paid credit to Rodrigues' innings, and that of India captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who hit 89 in a vital stand with her younger teammate.

She also pointed to Australia's crucial lapses – including her own dropped catch that gave Rodrigues a life on 82 – a below-par display with the ball and a late-innings fadeout with the bat.

Alyssa Healy dropped Jemimah Rodrigues when the batter was 82 // ICC/Getty

"(I'm) just disappointed," Healy said. "Ultimately, we just weren't sharp enough today in all three facets to give ourselves the opportunity to win that semi-final.

"Not taking anything away from the Indian performance, (but) there's an element of we let ourselves down.

"I think at the halfway mark, we thought we went okay, we thought we still had a pretty big job to do with the ball and ultimately, I just think we dished up a little bit too much junk to hit that times, and also just didn't capitalise on the opportunities that we did create."

Australia have dealt with all of the above at different stages of this World Cup and on each occasion, had still found a way.

Escaping tough situations is their brand..

That there was no saviour at DY Patil on Thursday was perhaps the part that left Healy the most thrown, alongside the sudden and bitter end to three years of continued dominance in the format.

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"It feels a little bit un-Australian to not be as clinical as we normally are, and knowing how well we played this World Cup," Healy continued.

"I think we're playing some unbelievable cricket, and that's why it doesn't quite feel right sitting here at the losing end, not getting to Sunday's fixture.

"I simply say that because of the different contributions that we've had right throughout, it wasn't just one person making all the runs and taking all the wickets, I think the team contributed equally right throughout, which put us in a really nice place heading into this final series."

It would be simple, and lazy, to draw direct comparisons – from Australia's perspective, at least – between this loss and their semi-final loss to India in 2017 – which was also the last time they dropped a game at an ODI World Cup.

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That result was a reckoning some time in the making, and the product of a lack of bowling depth and plans, combined with an over reliance on a couple of stars, and it rightfully triggered a top-to-bottom examination of Australia's entire style of play and team culture.

The aftermath of last year's T20 World Cup semi-final loss was less dramatic, but still brought about a commitment to playing a bolder, braver style with the bat.

Speaking after the defeat, Ellyse Perry said she did not expect Thursday's loss to spark the same overhaul as 2017, adamant that one bad night did not mean they were not on the right track as a group.

"You can't walk away with excuses from a loss in the semi-final, because I think at the end of the day, you need to be able to perform on the day that matters the most," Perry said.

"But at the same time, I think we can be super proud of the style of cricket that we played throughout this tournament and even across the last 12 months.

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"We're all really committed to that the way we go about it.

"It's also a lot of fun, the way that we play.

"We've got tremendous support staff. Our coaches have just been phenomenal, and they're helping us to push and drive the style that we want to play.

"Some days you just don't quite play well enough ... but at the end of the day, I think hopefully there's a lot of joy in our cricket.

"People enjoy watching us play, and there's more opportunity ahead."

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Australia coach Shelley Nitschke stuck a similar note.

However, she pointed to the need to be better in the biggest moments in knockout matches – something that was a hallmark of Australia’s game during their golden run between 2018 and 2023.

"(It's) really disappointing tonight, but I don't think that it's panic stations for us," Australia coach Shelley Nitschke said.

"We've been playing some really good cricket, not just this tournament, in the last 12 months.

"We're always going to review and look to get better, and we need to be better in the big moments.

"I still think we've got some growth to go, and I'm actually looking forward to where we can go.

"We just weren't good enough when it counted tonight."

Regardless, this loss, at the end of a four-year ODI cycle, will be the start of a shift for Australia in the format – in personnel, if not in style.

Healy and Megan Schutt have both confirmed this was their final 50-over World Cup, and the same may well be the case for some other senior players, including Perry, who will turn 35 on Monday.

At the same time, the never-ending nature of the ICC tournament conveyer belt means Australia do not have much time to recalibrate before a tilt at winning back the T20 World Cup in the UK next June.

As it stands, they will play just six T20Is between now and that tournament, against India in February and West Indies in April.

Australia's women have only been without an ICC trophy on two occasions – the first came when the 'World T20' was introduced in 2009 and they failed to win that inaugural tournament in the same year England won the ODI World Cup.

The second was in 2017, when their semi-final loss to India followed their defeat to West Indies in the 2016 T20 World Cup decider.

A third-straight tournament without winning silverware, let alone missing the final all together, is unheard of for Australia.

Healy’s involvement in that upcoming T20 World Cup is unclear – the Australian captain has committed to international cricket through to the end of the 2025-26 home summer but has not gone on the record about her thoughts beyond that.

On Thursday, she too struck an optimistic note about the future.

"I think there's some huge positives out of (this World Cup)… this next four-year cycle leading into the next World Cup is going to be really exciting for our group, and potentially see some really cool opportunities for some of the younger players, which I think is going to improve the Australian team," she said.

2025 Women's ODI World Cup

Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham