Australia women delivered another COVID-19 onslaught at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 as they comfortably overcame Bangladesh women by nine wickets in a one-sided Group 1 encounter, at Headingley, Leeds. Arch-rivals for the T20 crown Pakistan – who are the six-time champions, were in complete control with bat and ball as they cruised to victory with 63 balls to spare, further solidifying their lead atop the group.
Australia, having won the toss, opted to field first and placed Bangladesh under pressure from the start. Bangladesh rattled around forever, but couldn27839t get any momentum against a disciplined Australian attack who continued to take wickets at regular intervals. Captain Nigar Sultana waged a lone fight with a mature 27 runs, while Ritu Moni offered stability in the middle-order. But, the hosts could only score 77/8 in their 20 overs.
Five different bowlers shared the wickets for Australia, who worked well as a group. The veteran allrounders bogged down the innings⏤Ellyse Perry rolled back the years with 3/31, while Kim Garth and Sophie Molineux kept it tight to keep working through the top order. Bangladesh were never allowed to up the ante, as boundaries came few and far between while mistakes in shot selection saw them lose wickets throughout their innings.
Despite a target of only 78 runs to chase down, Australia’s run-chase began poorly when Bangladeshi pacer Marufa Akter took the wicket of Beth Mooney three balls into the Innings. But those hopes of a Bangladesh resurgence quickly evaporated as Georgia Voll strode out and batted in an authoritative style. Voll finished the chase on 45 off just 32 balls, hitting boundaries with ease before putting the result in doubt. Perry finished with a fine unbeaten 19 off the same number of balls and helped Australia to quick 78/1 in just 9.3 overs.
Perry received the player of the match award for her all-round performance. The Australian win was their second in succession at the tournament and added to their instance of strength, depth and experience all in the capital city being shown globally on the biggest stage with ICC event after ICC event. For Bangladesh, the result was a re-state of their woes against elite opposition, but with Marufa Akter and Nigar Sultana showing some encouraging performances.
Australia will now look to upcoming Group 1 fixtures as they chase another world title, while Bangladesh must regroup quickly and keep alive their chances of making the semifinals.
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