Australia’s win over Netherlands marred by Beth Mooney injury

The Australian cricket team extended its winning run to three in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 after comprehensively defeating the Netherlands by 98 runs in a Group 1 match at the Rose Bowl in Hampshire on Saturday.

World No. 1 Australia had earlier brushed aside South Africa and Bangladesh in their group and Saturday’s win took them above India to the top of the standings with six points from three games.

Sent in to bat first, Australia rode on Beth Mooney and Ashleigh Gardner’s fifties and a late surge by Georgia Wareham to post a record total of 219/6 on the board.

The Netherlands women’s cricket team, ranked 14th in the world, scored 121/3 in their allotted 20 overs with captain Babette de Leede scoring a fifty.

Australian openers Georgia Voll and Beth Mooney gave the six-time Women’s T20 World Cup champions a brisk start, bringing up fifty on the board inside the first five overs before Voll was dismissed by Iris Zwilling.

Ellyse Perry, playing her 50th T20 World Cup match, also departed after adding just one run to the scoreboard.

However, Mooney and Ashleigh Gardner, who had missed the Bangladesh game with injury, stitched a 101-run stand for the third wicket to put Australia firmly in the driver’s seat.

Gardner was finally sent back by Caroline de Lange but not before she had scored a damaging 58 off 32 balls. Unfortunately, Australia also lost Mooney in the very next ball after she was forced to retire hurt due to a stiff back while batting on 74 off 42 deliveries.

Losing two set batters in succession disrupted Australia’s momentum but Georgia Wareham softened the blow with an 18-ball 41 to guide her team to 219/6 - matching England’s record for the highest score in a Women’s T20 World Cup match.

England had scored 219/1 against Sri Lanka in the tournament opener.

Zwilling picked up 3/52 for the Netherlands.

Kim Garth sent back both Dutch openers early but Netherlands fought back with captain Babette de Leede and Sterre Kalisjoing forces to put together a 96-run stand.

Leede finished with an unbeaten half-century while Kalis fell to Annabel Sutherland in the penultimate over, just six short of a 12th T20 fifty as Netherlands' scoring rate never quite threatened Australia’s total.

Mooney didn’t keep wickets as Voll filled in with the gloves. Australia’s other specialist wicketkeeping option Phoebe Litchfield is also expected to miss the next match after suffering an injury against the Proteas.

The Australian women’s cricket team’s next Women’s T20 World Cup match will be against Pakistan at Headingley on Tuesday.

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