While cricket fans were busy celebrating Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s brilliance in Sydney, another remarkable feat was unfolding thousands of miles away in Indore. At the Holkar Stadium, Australian leg-spinner Alana King delivered one of the greatest bowling performances in Women’s World Cup history, taking 7 wickets in just 7 overs to bowl out South Africa for a mere 97 runs in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 match.

The Australia vs South Africa clash, held on October 25 in Indore, was already seen as a high-voltage league-stage encounter between two teams that had both qualified for the semi-finals. However, what followed was total domination from the defending champions, led by King’s magical spell that left the South African lineup in ruins.

A Record-Breaking Spell
Alana King, who struck first in the 12th over, went on to dismiss batters from all parts of the order — top, middle, and lower — completing her seventh wicket by the 24th over. In her 7-over spell, she bowled 2 maidens, conceded just 18 runs, and remarkably did not allow a single run off 33 consecutive balls. This was her second five-wicket haul in ODIs, but it also became a world-record performance, setting the new benchmark for the best bowling figures in Women’s World Cup history.

Breaking a 43-Year-Old Record
King’s phenomenal 7/18 broke the long-standing record held by New Zealand’s Jackie Lord, who took 6/10 against India in the 1982 World Cup. With this, King also surpassed Ellyse Perry’s Australian record of 7/22, marking the best-ever figures by an Australian woman in ODI cricket.

Thanks to her devastating spell, South Africa’s innings collapsed within 24 overs, managing only 97 runs. King’s performance not only reaffirmed Australia’s dominance in women’s cricket but also etched her name in the record books as one of the most lethal bowlers in the modern game.