Power-hitters and left-arm spinners flourish; catching continues to be sloppy

Run rates vs economy rates = knockout teamsThe teams with the best difference in batting scoring rates and bowling economy rates were the ones that made the semi-finals. Australia stood out with the best differential of +1.10, followed by South Africa (0.63), India (0.52) and England (0.06). These were also the four sides with positive differentials.Boundary blitz and six-hitting surgeIf the last two World Cups hinted at a bit of a revolution in power hitting in women’s cricket, 2025 confirmed it. The tournament witnessed a record 133 sixes, 22 more than the 111 in 2017. This edition also had the balls-per-boundary ratio (9.8) go below ten.Balls per boundary at CWC 2025•ESPNcricinfo LtdFor the first time, the overall run rate in an edition breached the five-run mark, finishing at 5.14, a sharp rise from 4.69 (2017) and 4.68 (2022).Left-arm is rightNo bowling type exerted more influence at this World Cup than left-arm spin. It delivered the lowest balls-per-wicket ratio of all bowling types – 29.99, around four balls fewer than the next best, which was right-arm legspin. There was also the most wickets by left-arm spin in an edition, 110, which was 33 more than the record in 1982.Lower-order comebacksIf top-order dominance was a headline, the resilience of the lower order was the other. The last five wickets averaged 20.1 runs in 2025, the best in a women’s ODI World Cup, and scored at 5.3 runs per over. Those translated to nearly 100 runs in 19 overs.The star performers: Wolvaardt and DeeptiLaura Wolvaardt scored 571 runs, the most by any batter in a women’s ODI World Cup edition, and a record 336 runs now in the World Cup knockouts. Her overall tally of 1328 runs is now the second-highest in the history of the tournament after Debbie Hockley’s 1501.Deepti Sharma, meanwhile, became the first woman to score 200-plus runs and take 20-plus wickets in an ODI tournament. She joined Greg Chappell (1981-82) and Kapil Dev (1985-86), both at the Benson & Hedges tournaments in Australia, as the only players to achieve that double.Catching efficiency at CWC 2025•ESPNcricinfo LtdCatches continue to go downDropped catches continued to plague teams throughout the competition. Nearly one in every three chances went down, with a catch efficiency of 67.3%, a dip from the 72.9% in 2022. England (76.9%) and New Zealand (75%) were the sharpest, while Bangladesh (44.4%), India (63.3%), South Africa and Australia (both 66.7%) found themselves at the other end. In a tournament where batting flourished, fielding often failed to keep up with expectations.DRS at CWC 2025•ESPNcricinfo LtdThe Desperate Review SystemIf the DRS was meant to bring clarity, it revealed desperation on the part of the teams instead.On average, teams managed one successful review every three attempts. India led the way for the wrong reasons, with 11 unsuccessful calls out of 15, followed by Australia (6/10). Only Bangladesh stood out with an 80% success rate in five reviews, no other team crossed 45%.