(Photo ICC)
England remain perfect at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup after some brutal power-hitting helped them to a 38-run win over Scotland.
Scotland were set a mammoth chase after dropping Sophia Dunkley (57) three times before Freya Kemp and Dani Gibson took England’s total to 200 for the second time in the tournament.
Sophie Ecclestone became the second-fastest woman to 150 T20I wickets as England (ICC Ranking: 2) got one over their neighbours.
Scotland (ICC Ranking: 11) had been near-perfect in the field in their narrow loss to the West Indies but having elected to field, they dropped catches and made further mistakes in the field.
They were also forced into two changes with Ailsa Lister and Rachel Slater not recovering from their energy-sapping match on the same ground two evenings before.
The innings had started positively as Kirstie Gordon opened the bowling against her former side and Amy Jones was gone first ball, sending a simple catch to Megan McColl.
That brought Sophia Dunkley, playing in place of injured skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt, to the crease and she lived a charmed life at the wicket.
She was first dropped by Priyanaz Chatterji while on four from 10 balls, with the all-rounder putting down a difficult diving grab.
That freed Dunkley up as she crashed the first six of the game three balls later before ending the powerplay on 43 from 25.
Danni Wyatt-Hodge (7) was out the very next ball as Gordon picked up one of her easiest wickets.
The spinner had the chance for more in the over, but Dunkley was put down on 43 by Katherine Fraser and then 45 by McColl in the space of two balls.
Dunkley reached her first T20 World Cup fifty off 33 balls before she eventually departed for 57 as Hannah Rainey held on to a catch in the deep off the bowling of Kathryn Bryce.
Rainey, who was only in Scotland’s squad as an injury replacement, then bowled Alice Capsey for 40 from 25 balls to pin England back to 110 for four.
Gordon took the catch to give Chatterji her first wicket of the tournament as Heather Knight departed for 25.
However, the former England player then conceded 21 runs from her final over to see her figures slide to two for 30.
Dani Gibson (30 not out) and Freya Kemp (39 not out) provided late power-hitting to boost England’s total to 200 for five as they put on a sixth-wicket partnership of 61 from 21 balls.
Scotland started the only way they could and attacked England from the off.
Fraser was dropped by Gibson in the first over but they reached 32 without loss at the end of the third over by playing aggressively.
However, Fraser tried one shot too many and was bowled by stand-in captain Charlie Dean for 23 from 13.
Scotland were one run ahead of England at the end of the powerplay, but Ecclestone made an immediate impact to bowl Kathryn Bryce for six and claim her 150th T20I wicket.
Ecclestone had another as she bowled Darcey Carter for 29 and Scotland slipped to 64 for three.
Kemp and Gibson combined again as the former caught McColl for 10 off the bowling of the latter as the required run-rate climbed to over 12 an over.
Sarah Bryce made 34 off 24 balls but was caught on the boundary by Gibson off Linsey Smith before Kemp took the high catch off her own bowling to dismiss Chatterji to leave Scotland on 155 for six.
Pippa Sproul and Gordon (23) put on 47 for the seventh wicket before Sproul was run out for 27 off the final ball.
NAHIDA INSPIRES BANGLADESH TO INCREDIBLE COMEBACK WIN OVER PAKISTAN
Nahida Akter claimed three wickets as Bangladesh’s spinners helped their side claim a 23-run comeback victory over Pakistan in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.
Nigar Sultana and a Shorna Akter counter-attack had helped the Tigresses recover to 123 for six after Fatima Sana had struck twice in the second over.
Sanjida Akter Meghla also took three and Rabeya Khan bowled tightly as Bangladesh, the ICC’s 10th-ranked nation, kept their Asian rivals, ranked eighth winless, while picking up their second win of the tournament.
After Bangladesh had won the toss and elected to bat, Dilara Akter cut Sadia Iqbal for four in the game’s first over.
But Fatima Sana, off the back of a remarkable all-round performance against South Africa at Edgbaston on Wednesday, began exactly where she had left off.
She had Dilara (5) chipping straight to Nashra Sundhu at mid-on with her second ball, then trapped Sharmin Akter LBW with an in-ducker two deliveries later for a duck.
Two dots followed to complete a rare double-wicket maiden, the Pakistan skipper finishing with figures of two for 18 from her four overs.
Tasmia Rubab, back in the side after missing out against the Proteas, dismissed Juairiya Ferdous (7) in the fifth over as Bangladesh slipped to 13 for three.
Sobhana Mostary cut Fatima for four off the final over of the powerplay, the only boundary since the first over as they ended the first six 23 for three.
Captain Nigar Sultana took Tasmia’s seventh over for 10, as the Tigresses’ leading T20I run-scorer looked to settle her side’s innings.
Sobhana (22) hit boundaries off Nashra and Tuba Hassan, before a successful LBW review off the former ended her innings.
Bangladesh consolidated before Nigar attempted to up the tempo in Tuba’s 13th over, using her feet to find consecutive boundaries.
They reached 72 for four as drinks were taken at 14 overs, but Ritu Moni (7) fell on the first ball after the break, striking Tuba (1/30) straight to Aliya Riaz at long-on.
Nigar pulled Tuba for four but fell for 36 in the 18th over, toe-ending a reverse-sweep off Sadia (1/21) straight to Saira Jabeen as Bangladesh stumbled to 92 for six.
But Shorna Akter’s late cameo shifted the momentum of the innings, dabbing smartly behind point and driving Sadia over extra cover.
She took 14 off Fatima’s final over of the innings to carry her side to 123 for six, herself ending not out on 39 off 22 balls.
Marufa Akter began Bangladesh’s defence with a maiden, before Gull Feroza found the first boundary with a leading edge over third man.
Muneeba Ali smashed Sanjida over long-on for six, before Gull hit Rabeya for two boundaries to finish the powerplay on 41 without loss.
Muneeba offered Ritu a chance off her own bowling in the seventh over, but the power on the strike meant it burst through her hands and the throw at the stumps missed, with Gull out of her crease.
But Bangladesh had their first breakthrough soon after, as Gull (23) cut Nahida Akter to Sobhana.
Pakistan then required less than a run-a-ball, but three quick Bangladesh wickets changed the pattern of the game.
Nahida, Bangladesh’s leading T20I wicket-taker, had Muneeba (25) caught at square-leg, before Sanjida removed both Ayesha Zafar and Aliya in the 12th over to leave Pakistan 70 for four.
The runs began to dry up and leg-spinner Rabeya (1/17) trapped Iram Javed LBW for nine in the 15th over.
Saira Jabeen then edged Sanjida (3/21) to Rabeya at backward point for a duck, with Pakistan falling to 77 for six.
The wicket brought Tuba and Fatima together, but there was to be no repeat of their 71-run stand from Wednesday night as Tuba was trapped LBW by Ritu (1/24) for one.
Pakistan captain Fatima could not pull off another miracle performance and departed for 10 off Nahida (3/18) as her side finished 24 runs short.
MOONEY STARS IN CONVINCING AUSTRALIA WIN BEFORE INJURY SCARE
Beth Mooney struck 74 before retiring hurt as Australia’s batters impressed in a 98-run ICC Women’s T20 World Cup win over the Netherlands.
Ashleigh Gardner also hit a half-century and Georgia Wareham smashed 41 off 18 balls as Australia tied the highest ICC Women’s T20 World Cup score.
It was their first-ever T20I meeting, and the ICC’s 14th-ranked nation, the Netherlands, were unable to keep up with the required run-rate in their chase, despite impressive knocks from Babette de Leede (56) and Sterre Kalis (44).
Australia’s openers looked in ominous form early on, hitting Iris Zwilling’s first over for 11 after the Netherlands won the toss and chose to field.
Beth Mooney struck three fours in succession off Isabel Van der Woning, cutting, then driving, then flicking behind square as the ICC’s number one ranked T20I side started fast.
The opening partnership reached 50 but Georgia Voll, the world’s number one-ranked batter, was dismissed in the next over for 17, slicing behind square to give Zwilling her first wicket.
Ellyse Perry (1) pulled Heather Siegers straight to Sterre Kalis soon after as her side fell to 51 for two.
Ashleigh Gardner was back in the side after missing the win against Bangladesh and she crashed back-to-back fours off Siegers as Australia totalled 61 for two from the powerplay.
An elegant drive over extra cover saw her pass 1,500 T20I runs, and she followed it with a six over mid-off.
The milestones kept coming in the 10th over, as successive fours took Mooney to a 30-ball half-century, with her team reaching 100 and the partnership passing 50.
Gardner, who was dropped on 25, accessed all areas of the ground as she reached her 50 off only 28 balls in the 14th over.
Mooney pulled Zwilling for six but retired hurt at the drinks break after striking 74 off 42 balls.
Gardner (58) was then caught by Kalis off De Lange to leave two new batters at the crease.
But Georgia Wareham offered no respite, hitting her first delivery for four and then Van der Woning for three boundaries in a row, as they reached 185 for three off 17 overs.
De Lange (2/39) dismissed Nicola Carey but couldn’t prevent Wareham from hitting another pair of fours.
The scored past 200 in the 19th over, before Wareham skied to square-leg off Zwilling (3/52), out for 41 off 18 balls.
Annabel Sutherland (11 not out) and Sophie Molineux (7) helped Australia reach 219 for six off their 20, tying England’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup record score from the first game of the tournament.
Kim Garth struck early in the Netherlands chase, tempting Phebe Molkenboer into a drive with a ball that shaped away. The edge was taken by Voll, deputising behind the stumps in the absence of Mooney.
Heather Siegers (9) hit Garth (2/20) for the first boundary of the innings in the fourth over, but was trapped LBW two balls later after missing a pull shot.
The Netherlands reached 28 for two from the powerplay as they settled into their innings.
Captain Babette de Leede, playing her 100th T20I, hit boundaries off Wareham and Molineux, before Kalis struck Alana King for the Netherlands’ first six.
The Netherlands never threatened to chase the target, but De Leede and Kalis ensured that they put up a strong fight by rotating the strike and running hard.
The 100 was brought up in the 16th over, before Sutherland put down another diving chance off Kalis a few balls later.
A single brought up the Dutch skipper’s half-century in the 18th, her second in three World Cup games, but Kalis couldn’t reach the same mark, bowled by Sutherland (1/23) for 44 in the final over.
The partnership was worth 96, with the Netherlands finishing on 121 for three, 98 runs short.
The win takes Australia top of Group A, with Pakistan and India still to face.
The Netherlands, meanwhile, head to Bristol to complete their campaign with fixtures against South Africa and Pakistan.
Scores in brief
Australia v Netherlands at Hampshire Bowl, South Hampton
Australia 219/6 in 20 overs (Beth Mooney 74, Ashleigh Gardner 58; Iris Zwilling 3/52, Caroline De Lange 2/39)
Netherlands 121/3 in 20 overs (Babette De Leede 56 not out, Sterre Kalis 44; Kim Garth 2/20, Annabel Sutherland 1/23)
Result: Australia win by 98 runs
Bangladesh v Pakistan – Hampshire Bowl, Southampton
Bangladesh: 123/6 in 20 overs (Shorna Akter 39 not out, Nigar Sultana 36; Fatima Sana 2/18, Nashra Sundhu 1/14)
Pakistan: 100/8 in 20 overs (Muneeba Ali 25, Gull Feroza 23; Nahida Akter 3/18, Sanjida Akter Meghla 3/21)
Result: Bangladesh win by 23 runs
England v Scotland – Headingley, Leeds
England: 200/5 in 20 overs (Sophia Dunkley 57, Alice Capsey 40; Kirstie Gordon 2/30, Hannah Rainey 1/30)
Scotland: 162/7 in 20 overs (Sarah Bryce 34, Darcey Carter 29; Sophie Ecclestone 2/23, Freya Kemp 1/13)
Result: England beat Scotland by 38 runs
