Women’s T20 WC: The plan was to just hit the deck as hard as I can, says Iris Zwilling

Bristol, June 27 (IANS) The Netherlands fast bowler Iris Zwilling expressed satisfaction with her bowling effort of 2-19 against Pakistan in the ongoing 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup, saying she’s glad that the plan of hitting the deck hard finally clicked at the County Ground in Bristol on Saturday.

Iris’ spell of 2-19, based around bowling tight lines, was the standout bowling effort for the Netherlands in restricting Pakistan to 126/6. “I think all tournament we’ve been kind of discussing to do the same thing, and it’s really just to hit the deck and hit the deck as hard as I can, really try not to float the ball up there. And I think today that finally clicked. So I’m pretty happy with that,” Zwilling said in a mid-innings chat with the broadcasters.

She admitted the bowling unit had faced challenges on batting‑friendly surfaces throughout the competition. “It’s an interesting one because obviously we play on really, really good batting pitches. And I think coming from where we come from, we don’t always have that experience.

“So it’s something that we had to adjust to pretty quickly. And I think in parts we’ve really shown that we can bowl to good batters at good grounds on good wickets. And it’s nice to, you know, see that back in a total today with just a low total,” said Iris.

She also expressed confidence in the Netherlands’ batting line‑up chasing down the target of 127 to get their first-ever win in the competition. “Oh, well, I guess I’m still a bit high on adrenaline from the bowling innings. I think it’s outside the leg‑stump that comes a bit later.

“But I think we’ve shown in this tournament that we’ve got a very strong batting unit, and they are very capable of getting this total. So I back them all the way, and I think this is a really good opportunity for us, and it’s within arm’s reach,” added Iris.

–IANS

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