Smriti Mandhana Eyes Historic Record: Indian Star Poised to Eclipse Clark's 28-Year Milestone at Women's World Cup

Indian opener Smriti Mandhana is approaching a significant milestone in women's ODI cricket as she needs just 12 runs to surpass Australian legend Belinda Clark's record for most runs in a calendar year when India face South Africa in the ICC Women's World Cup match on Thursday.India enter the match undefeated after victories against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, while South Africa recently rebounded with a win against New Zealand following their 10-wicket loss to England.Mandhana has had a modest start to the tournament with scores of 8 and 23 against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, respectively. However, her overall 2025 performance has been impressive with 959 runs in 16 innings at an average of 59.93 and a strike rate exceeding 113, including four centuries and three fifties.The record Mandhana aims to break was set by Belinda Clark in 1997, who scored 970 runs in 16 matches across 14 innings. Clark's remarkable year included three centuries and four fifties, with an average of 80.83 and a strike rate of 98.11, highlighted by her unbeaten 229.Another milestone awaits Mandhana as she is 81 runs away from reaching 5,000 ODI runs. This achievement would make her the second Indian after Mithali Raj and the fifth woman overall to reach this mark.Mandhana's current ODI career statistics stand at 4,919 runs in 110 matches at an average of 47.29 and a strike rate of 89.71, including 13 centuries and 32 fifties.Most runs in a calendar year in Women's ODIs: