Women’s T20 WC 2026: Juairiya’s fifty guides Bangladesh to comfortable win over Netherlands

Birmingham, June 14 (IANS) Bangladesh began their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign on a winning note as opener Juairiya Ferdous struck a brilliant half-century to guide her side to a six-wicket victory over the Netherlands at Edgbaston on Sunday.

Chasing a target of 140, Bangladesh made a cautious start with both openers focusing on preserving their wickets against disciplined Dutch bowling. The side managed only eight runs from the first two overs as the Netherlands bowlers kept things tight.

Juairiya Ferdous eventually broke the shackles in the third over, hitting two boundaries to release the pressure. The aggressive opener received a lifeline in the following over when she was dropped by Robine Rijke. The missed chance proved costly as Ferdous responded immediately with two consecutive boundaries to put Bangladesh firmly on course.

While Ferdous played the attacking role, her opening partner Dilara Akter anchored the innings from the other end. The pair combined well to give Bangladesh a solid platform as they reached 47 without loss at the end of the powerplay.

Ferdous continued her impressive strokeplay and brought up her half-century off just 32 deliveries with a towering six off Caroline de Lange in the eighth over. However, her entertaining innings came to an end on the very next ball when De Lange struck back. Ferdous scored 50 runs, including seven fours and two sixes.

The Netherlands sensed an opportunity and increased the pressure immediately. De Lange dismissed Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana for a duck on the next delivery, leaving the Asian side two wickets down in quick succession.

Bangladesh suffered another setback in the 11th over when Silver Siegers clean bowled the well-set Dilara Akter for 26 off 23 balls. Sobhana Mostary then departed in unfortunate fashion after being run out while attempting a quick single, reducing Bangladesh to 85/4.

Despite the brief collapse, Sharmin Akhter remained calm and steadied the chase. She found an able partner in Shorna Akter, who looked confident from the moment she arrived at the crease. The duo added an unbeaten 56 runs for the fifth wicket in just 43 balls to take the game away from the Netherlands.

Sharmin finished unbeaten on 37, hitting four boundaries, while Shorna remained not out on 18 and sealed the victory with a six. Their partnership ensured Bangladesh crossed the finish line comfortably, reaching 141/4 in 19.1 overs to secure a winning start to their World Cup campaign.

Earlier, after winning the toss and opting to bat first, the Netherlands got off to a slow start, scoring just four runs in the opening over against Bangladesh in their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 opener at Edgbaston on Sunday.

Opener Phebe Molkenboer tried to lift the scoring rate with two consecutive boundaries at the start of the second over, but her innings was cut short when Marufa Akter forced an edge that was safely taken by wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana. Bangladesh kept the pressure on as Marufa troubled captain Babette de Leede with disciplined bowling, while Heather Siegers played a few attacking shots to keep the scoreboard moving.

The Dutch side suffered another setback in the fifth over when Heather Siegers departed for 16 off 13 balls after edging Fariha Trisna behind. Netherlands reached 40/2 at the end of the powerplay but struggled to build partnerships as wickets continued to fall.

Sterre Kalis was bowled by Rabeya Khan, while Robine Rijke’s useful knock of 13 ended when Marufa took a sharp return catch. Sanya Khurana also failed to make an impact, scoring just one run

Amid the regular wickets, De Leede held the innings together with a calm and responsible knock. She rotated the strike well and found boundaries whenever needed to keep the innings alive. Her efforts helped the Netherlands cross the 100-run mark despite limited support from the other end.

The skipper brought up her half-century off 45 balls but was run out for 50 while attempting a second run. Her innings included five boundaries. Late contributions from Iris Zwilling (13) and the unbeaten Silver Siegers (10) helped the Netherlands finish on 139/8 from their 20 overs.

Brief Scores: Netherlands 139/8 in 20 overs (Babette de Leede 50, Heather Siegers 16; Marufa Akter 2-31, Ritu Moni 1-17) lost to Bangladesh 141/4 in 19.1 overs (Juairiya Ferdous 50, Sharmin Akhter 37; Caroline de Lange 2-27, Silver Siegers 1-24) by six wickets.

–IANS

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