Team India opener Smriti Mandhana broke the all-time record during the 10th match of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 against South Africa. The left-handed batsman has set the record for the most runs by a woman in a calendar year, surpassing former Australian cricketer Belinda Clarke’s tally.
India have registered victories in their first two matches in the World Cup. After a one-hour rain delay, South Africa captain Laura Wolfhardt elected to field first in Visakhapatnam on Friday 9 October. South Africa brought on Tommy Sekhukhune in place of Masabatha Kalas, while India recalled Amanjot Kaur in place of Renuka Singh Thakur.
Smriti Mandhana breaks all-time women’s ODI record
Smriti Mandhana wrote history by surpassing Belinda Clark’s long-standing record for the most ODI runs in a calendar year. The 29-year-old achieved the feat with a six off Ayabonga Khaka in the eighth over of India’s innings. Clarke scored 970 runs for Australia in 1997.
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Mandhana now has 982 runs from 17 matches at an impressive average of close to 60 and a strike rate of 113.76, including four centuries in 2025. The previous best by an Indian woman in a single year was with Deepti Sharma, who scored 787 runs in 2017.
If Mandhana adds 18 more runs in the ongoing tournament, she will become the first ever female cricketer to reach 1,000 ODI runs in a calendar year, further cementing her dominance in the format.
Most ODI matches are played in a calendar year – Women’s Cricket
| player | a team | Matches | Runs | year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smriti Mandhana | India | 17* | 972* | 2025 |
| Belinda Clark | Australia | 16 | 970 | 1997 |
| Laura Wolfhardt | South Africa | 18 | 882 | 2022 |
| Debbie Hockley | New Zealand | 16 | 880 | 1997 |
| Amy Satterthwaite | New Zealand | 15 | 853 | 2016 |
| Belinda Clark | Australia | 16 | 842 | 2000 |
| Nat SPE-Brand | England | 17 | 833 | 2022 |
| Claire Taylor | England | 20 | 807 | 2005 |
| Deepti Sharma | India | 20 | 787 | 2017 |
| Mithali Raj | India | 19 | 783 | 2017 |
Smriti Mandhana is close to another World Cup record
Smriti Mandhana got off to a slow start to her Women’s World Cup campaign, scoring 8 and 23 in the opening matches against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The left-arm pacer is making her third ODI World Cup appearance, having earlier played a key role in India’s runners-up finish in 2017 in England.
The Maharashtra batsman is also closing in on the 5,000-run mark in women’s ODIs – a feat only four others have achieved. If she reaches this target, Mandhana will join Mithali Raj as the second Indian and fifth overall to do so.
Mithali (7805 runs), England’s Charlotte Edwards (5992 runs), New Zealand’s Susie Bates (5896 runs), and West Indies’ Stafanie Taylor (5873 runs in 170 ODIs) have scored more runs than Mandhana in the format.
During the ODI series against Australia in September, Smriti scored two centuries. She showcased her explosive form in the series decider at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on September 20, where she reached a hundred off just 50 balls.
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