‘I’d throw it all away to win’: New Zealand’s Devine on ‘bittersweet’ loss against Australia

The two centurions of the day, Australia’s Ashleigh Gardner and New Zealand’s Sophie Devine, reflected on their Women’s ODI World Cup game at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Wednesday (October 1, 2025).

While Gardner’s brilliant 115 proved match-winning for the Women in Yellow, Devine’s perseverant 112 could only reduce the margin of loss to 89 runs.

“It is pretty bittersweet, to be fair. I would throw it all away to make sure we won. The thing I am most proud of is the fight this team showed. A couple of years ago, we would have thrown in the towel and been skittled out for 150,” New Zealand skipper Devine said during the post-match presentation.

A few minutes later, Devine, still visibly drained after a marathon effort in the field, reiterated her point at the post-match press conference.

“Yeah, despite the loss today, we pushed the world champs pretty hard, and we got them nervous at different times, which doesn’t happen often,” Devine conveyed.

“At different stages, different people are going to stand up in this group, and that’s what we’ve spoken about. When it’s your day, you have to really take control of the game… you have to be the one to get this team over the line.”

Gardner, who expertly guided the lower-order to help her side recover from 128 for five to 326, attributed her fearless approach to the trust in Australia’s batting depth.

“We genuinely bat all the way down. We have that freedom and that confidence within our group that even if we are five [down] for not too many, we have the players to come in and change the game.”

“I was just being really proactive by taking the positive options. Because if I go into my shell, that’s probably when I won’t bat the best… it was about sticking to my strengths. Yes, the scoreboard was saying something, but I was trying to take that out of it.”

The scoreboard reflected an Australia victory and a New Zealand defeat at the end of the day, though both players deserved equal credit for their batting masterclass.