Australia Women vs Bangladesh Women, 9th Match, Group A, ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 - CommentaryAUSW vs BANW, 9th Match, Group A, ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 - Commentary

That wraps up a match that was as one-sided as you can get. Next up is India taking on Netherlands at this same venue. Will it go the same way as the first one did or will Netherlands take the fight to the Indians? The start is a little more than an hour away. We'll see you there. Cheers!

Sophie Molineux | Australia captain: (On the decision to bowl first and the bowling performance) Yeah, it was sort of what we were expecting. Kimmy up front was beautiful. She got her shape and bowled beautifully. And then I think everyone who came on after that did their role. So it was, all in all, a good day. (On the lengths discussed for the seamers with the new ball) Look, it was probably a fraction fuller. The pitch was probably a little bit sticky at the start. (On Ellyse Perry’s bowling role and continued development) Yeah, she’s warmed up every single game since 2023 as well. So she’s always chipping away at her game. And I think conditions like this really suit her. She’s always been able to shape the ball and can get a little bit out of the wicket as well. So those conditions really suit her. And I think we’re just blessed that we’ve got options no matter what conditions or opponent we’re playing against. (On Georgia Voll’s contribution with the bat) Yeah, that was great to see from Voll. We all know how clean a striker she is, and it was great to be able to see some of that today. (On Australia’s strong start to the tournament with two wins from two) Yeah, I think so. It’s one game at a time. It’s a bit of a cliché, but we can’t get too far ahead of ourselves. At the same time, we have to be able to enjoy wins like this. So yeah, all in all, it’s been a great start.

Nigar Sultana | Bangladesh captain: (On assessing the batting performance and conditions) Initially, I think we lost too many wickets in the first 10 overs, and it was pretty difficult for our batting unit to keep going from there. But I think we are better than this. We know that. We really wanted to put some score on the board because we know that we have a very good bowling side, and that gives us a better chance when we go out to bowl. (On selecting additional finger spinners despite seam-friendly conditions) Yeah, I think initially we really wanted to see an experienced bowler like Nahida Akter come into the side. We were really hoping that we could put some runs on the board, so it might give us a chance with the ball. Otherwise, it’s pretty difficult. A score of 78 runs is very difficult for the bowlers to defend. (On Bangladesh’s efforts to develop more power hitters) Sometimes, you know, we have been looking for a few players who can really bat as power hitters and that we can use in the last few overs. In Asian countries, we can find a lot of spinners, but it’s pretty difficult to find batters like that. But still, we have some players who really can bat in that way. Sometimes it’s not working as well, but we are continuing to work on it.

Ellyse Perry | Player of the Match: (On Australia’s bowling performance and her figures of 2 for 14) I thought we started really well with the ball. Obviously, we came up front to take those early wickets. It sort of felt a little bit seam-friendly today, a little bit off the wicket as well as in the air. So yeah, I thought it was a really great all-round job for the whole group. And, nice to contribute a little bit personally as well. (On continuing to develop her bowling and getting opportunities in T20 internationals) It’s certainly not about sending any signal. I just like any opportunity to contribute. I really enjoy doing that with this group. They are wonderful cricket players, and we have a lot of fun on the field. I’ve been chipping away with my bowling. I love doing it. It keeps me interested at training to have a trundle. And yeah, there are bits and pieces that you’ve always got to learn and keep trying to develop. I’ve been doing that for the last little bit, so to have an opportunity today was really enjoyable. (On finishing the chase alongside Georgia Voll) I thought Georgia was in a particularly bullish mood today, the way she hit some of those shots, especially when she got in. So we probably didn’t communicate too much about anything in particular other than just letting her play freely and me being at the other end. It was sort of different conditions today, certainly from where we came from in Old Trafford a couple of days ago. So it was about adjusting to that. We come back here and playing in a few days’ time too, so I think it’s about learning about the conditions and trying to be clinical in the way that we finish games. (Joking after being reminded of her longevity in the game) Thanks for calling me old.

13:01 Local Time, 12:01 GMT, 17:31 IST: Total domination from Australia in Leeds. They had Bangladesh in a choke-hold with the ball, keeping their run-rate below four for nearly the entire duration of the innings. There was plenty of movement on offer and their seamers had a blast with the likes of Kim Garth, Ellyse Perry and Annabel Sutherland doing well. Even Sophie Molieneux was mostly bowling inswinging arm-balls and had figures of 2/14. The run-chase was dominated by Georgia Voll who took her chance to get some runs after missing out in the first game. Stay tuned, we'll have the presentations shortly.