Halliday, Devine star as New Zealand get off the mark

New Zealand finally got on the board in the ICC Women's World Cup 2025 with a comprehensive 100-run win over Bangladesh in Guwahati. Brooke Halliday and Sophie Devine were the key contributors with the bat, stitching a crucial 112-run stand that rescued New Zealand from a top-order collapse. Jess Kerr, Lea Tahuhu and Rosemary Mair shared eight wickets between them to ensure New Zealand's unbeaten run against Bangladesh across formats.

Opting to bat first on a slow surface, New Zealand were in early trouble at 38 for 3, as leggie Rabeya Khan (3 for 30) picked two wickets and Suzie Bates got run out. Halliday and Devine steadied the innings with patient batting, rotating the strike and punishing the loose deliveries. Devine struck 63 from 85 balls, while Halliday made a solid 69 from 104. Their partnership allowed the innings to stretch deep, with Maddy Green's 25 providing late momentum as the team finished on 227 for 9.

In reply, Bangladesh never settled against the new ball. The top order went into a shell as wickets fell regularly, with the first boundary of the innings coming after 10.5 overs. Bangladesh finished the powerplay at 22 for 3, the lowest ten-over score of the tournament. Tahuhu (3 for 22) then joined in, striking twice in one over reducing Bangladesh to 33 for 6, effectively a point of no return on a pitch where run-making wasn't easy.

Fahima Khatun battled for her 34 and added small stands with the lower order, but it only delayed the inevitable. Bangladesh were bowled out for 127 in the 40th over.

Brief scores: New Zealand 227/9 in 50 overs (Brooke Halliday 69, Sophie Devine 63; Rabeya Khan 3-30) beat Bangladesh 127 in 39.5 overs (Fahima Khatun 34; Jess Kerr 3-21, Lea Tahuhu 3-22, Rosemary Mair 2-20) by 100 runs