With a World Cup and Ashes series taking place last year, here are the top ten bowling spells in women's international cricket for 2025, as selected by Wisden.com's editorial team.
10. Sneh Rana 5-43 vs South Africa, Colombo
India’s total of 276-6 had begun to look unconvincing when Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits put on 140 for the first wicket. But Wolvaardt was trapped lbw by Deepti Sharma, before Rana followed up by castling Lara Goodall two-and-a-half overs later.
When the off-spinner returned later in the innings, the game was still in the Proteas’ favour. With 37 needed off 26, Chloe Tryon holed out in the deep to make it 240-5. In Rana’s next over, she bowled Nadine de Klerk on the sweep, had the set Annerie Dercksen caught at square leg and held on to a thunderous return catch offered by centurion Tazmin Brits.
A couple of run outs thereafter sealed a 15-run win for India.
9. Kranti Gaud 6-52 vs England, Durham
In three previous ODIs, Gaud had taken three wickets for 106 runs. In her fourth game, she had a target of 319 to defend, but on a good batting surface.
A nip-backer knocked over Tammy Beaumont’s off stump in the first over, before Gaud had a superb Deepti Sharma effort to thank for the wicket of Amy Jones off a thick outside edge. She returned at the back end to get the wickets of Charlie Dean and Alice Davidson-Richards, both of whom threatened to take the game away from India.
The two Laurens at No.s 10 and 11, Filer and Bell, were her next victims as India won by 13 runs. Aged 21 years and 345 days, Gaud became the youngest pacer to take six wickets in a women’s ODI.
8. Alana King 4-25 vs England, Melbourne
Australia swept England in last year’s Ashes, but that perfect record looked in danger in just the second game of the tour. England’s spinners, Sophie Ecclestone (4-35) and Alice Capsey (3-22) helped bowl the hosts out for 180 in Melbourne.
The visitors were 68-3 when King came on to bowl. Off the final ball of her first over, she spun one from outside leg to clip Danni Wyatt-Hodge’s off stump for a golden duck. 73-4. Five overs later, she drew a shot across the line from Nat Sciver-Brunt, and the leading edge popped up to cover. 84-5.
It was 125-6 when King came on for her final over. Charlie Dean played an ill-advised scoop to perish, caught by Beth Mooney before Sophie Ecclestone nicked behind trying to cut. She should have had a fifth, as Kim Garth dropped a sharp chance at silly mid-on but all in all, King went off with a match-winning spell in front of the Shane Warne stand.
7. Nashra Sandhu 6-26 vs South Africa, Lahore
In the three ODIs between these sides in Lahore, the first two saw all four totals go past 250, but the third saw both sides score 232 runs put together; and the reason was Sandhu.
South Africa were motoring along at 50-1 in the first innings, before Sandhu deceived Sune Luus in the flight to induce a catch in the covers. She then got one to pitch on middle, and hit off to get rid of Miane Smit, before an errant umpiring call gave her the wicket of Karabo Meso, lbw.
Bowling slow and tossing it up, Sandhu forced South Africa’s batters to try and create pace on the ball. Anneke Bosch holed out at mid off trying to do so and Chloe Tryon was bowled in identical fashion to Smit. Nadine de Klerk was trapped in front trying to sweep, giving Sandhu a sixth. Her figures were the best for Pakistan against a Full Member team, and at the time were the best by anyone against South Africa.
6. Annabel Sutherland 5-40 v India, Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam bore a festive look for the India-Australia World Cup clash, which began promisingly for the hosts as Pratika Rawal and Smriti Mandhana put on 155 in 24.3 overs.
Amid the carnage, Sutherland went for just 17 in her first five overs, before really coming into her own in the latter half of the innings. A well-directed short ball got rid of Rawal for 75 in the 31st over, before her trademark back-of-the-hand slower ball did for all three of Richa Ghosh, Jemimah Rodrigues and Kranti Gaud. Shree Charani chopped on to give Sutherland her fifth.
India made 330 at 6.75 an over but Sutherland went at 4.06 across her 9.5 overs. Australia then went on to complete a world-record run chase, and Sutherland came in for special praise from skipper Alyssa Healy for pulling the runs back in the first innings.
5. Fatima Sana 4-27 v England, Colombo
Pakistan skipper Sana was the heartbeat of her side even as their World Cup campaign ended in disappointment, with washouts becoming a frequent feature thanks to the Colombo monsoon.
In a rain-shortened game, Sana struck more than a couple of massive blows against England. After Diana Baig had dismissed Tammy Beaumont, Sana snaked one through Amy Jones’s defences before a near-identical nip-backer got through a stunned Nat Sciver-Brunt. Despite Heather Knight’s best efforts to get outside the line, Sana still trapped her lbw before she got a fourth late on as Charlie Dean tried to scoop.
134 in 31 overs was more than chaseable for Pakistan, but the rain came down as they were 34-0 in 6.4, and washed out any chance of what could well have been a famous victory.
4. Marizanne Kapp 5-20 v England, Guwahati
South Africa’s task in the World Cup semi-final was almost done after Laura Wolvaardt’s breathtaking 169 powered them to 319-7. But an equally magnificent bowling performance was yet to come.
Amy Jones’s poles were splayed off the second ball of England’s chase by a delivery that seamed in. Three balls later, Heather Knight’s half-hearted cut shot resulted in a bottom edge onto the stumps. Kapp returned in the 29th over of the innings to remove Nat Sciver-Brunt, caught behind for 64, to begin England’s last rites. Another two nicks in her following over, off consecutive balls, got rid of Sophia Dunkley and Charlie Dean.
That left England 144-7. South Africa’s 125-run win and a ticket to the World Cup final then only became a matter of time.
3. Linsey Smith 3-7 v South Africa, Guwahati
Perhaps an odd entry at No.3, given the wickets column and the fact that this was a group stage game at the World Cup – in fact, both sides’ opening game. But the quality of bowling on show was up there with anything else from the past year.
For the very first time in her ODI career, Smith was tossed the new ball. It took her two balls to strike, as a leading edge from Laura Wolvaardt resulted in a simple return catch. Effectively abandoning turn, and bowling hooping inswingers to the right-hander, she then knocked back Tazmin Brits’s leg stump and Marizanne Kapp’s middle stump, and had figures of 3-4 in 2.1 overs.
Her teammates followed her act to bowl eventual finalists South Africa out for 69, as she finished with figures of 4-2-7-3.
2. Deepti Sharma 5-39 v South Africa, Navi Mumbai
Before November 2, 2025, only five women had scored a fifty and taken five wickets in an ODI. No one had done so in a World Cup, let alone in a final. Enter Deepti. Her run-a-ball 58 had already helped India to 298-7, but the game was far from a sure thing. It was Shafali Verma who turned the game with two quick wickets, but as long as Laura Wolvaardt remained, South Africa were in the contest.
Deepti had already chipped in with the wicket of Sinalo Jafta, and bowled the dangerous-looking Annerie Dercksen in the 40th over. Irrespective, Wolvaardt made her way through the innings, until Deepti induced a miscue in the 42nd over, and Amanjot Kaur held onto a juggling catch on the boundary to remove South Africa’s skipper for 101.
The opening created, Deepti burst through. Chloe Tryon was rapped on the front pad three balls later to depart lbw before Ayabonga Khaka was run out. Indian fans were not celebrating yet, having already been burnt by Nadine de Klerk before.
But a low full toss from Deepti was skewed, and Harmanpreet Kaur completed the catch to kick off euphoric scenes across the country. The all-rounder was named player of the tournament, for her 215 runs and 22 wickets across the campaign.
1. Alana King 7-18 v South Africa, Indore
While other performances on this list may have come in more significant matches, King’s incredible haul had to rank first for the figures alone.
South Africa had already lost their openers by the time the leggie came on, but she decimated the rest of the lineup. Sune Luus tried to slog sweep King’s second ball, but the extra bounce meant she holed out at mid-on. Four balls later, Marizanne Kapp hit one to point, and King had two wickets before she had conceded a run.
Annerie Dercksen was beaten in the flight to lose her leg stump, and Chloe Tryon whipped one straight to midwicket the following ball. King had 4-0 in 2.3 overs at that point. A swipe from Sinalo Jafta to lose off stump gave her a fifth wicket in her following over. Masabata Klaas and Nadine de Klerk were then both undone by turning deliveries to lose their off stumps well. South Africa were bowled out for 97, and Australia then won by seven wickets.
Her 7-18 were the best bowling figures for Australia in women’s ODIs, the best figures against South Africa in women’s ODIs, the best figures ever at a Women’s World Cup and the fourth-best figures overall in women’s ODIs.
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