Women’s T20 WC: Australia storm past Bangladesh by 9 wickets
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Leeds: Australia continued their impressive start to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 with a dominant nine-wicket victory over Bangladesh at Headingley on Wednesday.
After restricting Bangladesh to 77/8 in 20 overs, the six-time champions chased down the target in just 9.3 overs, with opener Georgia Voll leading the charge with an unbeaten 45.
Chasing 78, Australia were briefly challenged by disciplined bowling from Marufa Akter, who conceded only four runs in the opening over. However, the pressure soon eased as Beth Mooney and Voll took control of the chase.
Mooney hit Australia’s first boundary in the second over before Voll accelerated in the third, smashing a six and a four against Marufa. The Australian opener continued to find gaps as the pair put Bangladesh’s bowling attack under pressure.
Bangladesh finally broke through in the fifth over when Marufa dismissed Mooney for 10. Attempting an aggressive shot, Mooney mistimed the ball and was caught by Ritu Moni.
With Phoebe Litchfield unavailable after suffering a quad injury during Australia’s opening match against South Africa, experienced all-rounder Ellyse Perry came in at No. 3 and immediately settled into the innings. Perry struck a boundary off her second ball and looked comfortable at the crease.
Voll then produced a stunning final over of the powerplay, hitting three boundaries as Australia raced to 49/1 after six overs, effectively ending Bangladesh’s hopes of a comeback.
Bangladesh’s struggles continued when Perry was dropped in the seventh over, and the missed chance proved costly. Voll remained in control, hitting two more boundaries in the eighth over to take Australia closer to victory.
She eventually remained unbeaten on 45 off 31 balls, including six fours and a six, while Perry finished not out on 19 as Australia completed the chase with 63 balls remaining.
Earlier, Bangladesh’s innings never gained momentum after they were asked to bat first. Captain Nigar Sultana top-scored with a patient 27, but the rest of the batting line-up failed to build partnerships against Australia’s disciplined attack.
Bangladesh managed only three runs in the opening over before Kim Garth struck in the second, bowling Dilara Akter for a duck.
Jauiriya Ferdous, who had impressed with a half-century in Bangladesh’s previous match, briefly showed promise with a boundary but was trapped lbw by Garth for eight. Sophie Molineux then dismissed Sharmin Akter lbw, leaving Bangladesh in early trouble.
Nigar and Sobhana Mostary attempted to rebuild the innings, with Mostary playing some positive strokes and hitting a boundary off the final ball of the powerplay as Bangladesh reached 22/3 after six overs.
Australia struck again when Perry delivered a decisive over, dismissing Mostary, who was caught by Molineux, before trapping Shorna Akter lbw in the same over. Bangladesh slipped to 34/5.
Nigar and Ritu Moni then focused on rebuilding and preventing further damage, but Australia’s bowlers maintained tight lines and restricted scoring opportunities. The conditions also helped the seamers, making it difficult for Bangladesh batters to play attacking shots.
The pair added valuable runs, but boundaries remained scarce. Bangladesh reached the 50-run mark only in the 16th over when Ritu found the boundary against Perry.
The partnership ended in the 17th over when Georgia Wareham dismissed Ritu for 16. Nigar continued fighting from one end but struggled to increase the scoring rate. She was dismissed for 27 off 47 balls while attempting to attack Molineux.
Annabel Sutherland picked up another wicket in the final over as Australia completed a clinical bowling display.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh 77/8 in 20 overs (Nigar Sultana 27, Ritu Moni 16; Ellyse Perry 2-14, Sophie Molineux 2-14, Kim Garth 2-18) lost to Australia 78/1 in 9.3 overs (Georgia Voll 45*, Ellyse Perry 19*; Marufa Akter 1-28) by 9 wickets.
With IANS inputs