Women's T20 WC: Fatima, Ayesha pick three-fors as Pakistan sign off with 37-run win over Netherlands
Bristol, June 27
Pakistan closed their 2026 Women's T20 World Cup campaign on a high by defeating the Netherlands by 37 runs at the County Ground on Saturday. Fatima Sana got the win for Pakistan with a triple‑wicket maiden to end up with 3-12, while Ayesha Zafar chipped in with 3-13 of her own as the Netherlands were bowled out for 89 in 18 overs.
The Netherlands, playing their first‑ever T20 World Cup, showed plenty of heart, but fell short in the chase after Babette de Leede (30) and Heather Siegers (24) were dismissed. It meant that Pakistan finished their tournament on a winning note and will occupy fifth spot on the points table in Group A.
The Netherlands' chase began brightly with Heather Siegers striking five boundaries off Sadia Iqbal, Fatima Sana, and Diana Baig to race to 24 off 16 balls. But Diana eventually had the last laugh by trapping Heather lbw in the fourth over with a slower ball, which went past the pull to hit the back pad, as the DRS also confirmed the same.
Phebe Molkenboer followed soon after, run out for eight by a sharp direct hit from Eyman Fatima at short fine leg. Sterre Kalis tried to rebuild with Babette de Leede, but runs dried up against the spin of Nashra Sandhu and Tuba Hassan. Eventually, Sterre's stay ended tamely when she attempted a cut off Nashra, but chopped on to her stumps for 12.
Babette and Robine Rijke, who looked tentative, tried to revive the chase by rotating strike with singles and twos, with the former hitting occasional boundaries, twice of which came off part-timer Ayesha Zafar. But with Pakistan's spinners not giving much pace, Ayesha eventually prevailed by trapping Robine lbw, before having Sanya Khurana stumped for a three-ball duck, and had Frederique Overdijk cutting straight to cover for six.
From there, the Netherlands had no room to claw back - Iris Zwilling was run out bizarrely when Babette de Leede's straight drive ricocheted off the non‑striker. With Babette committed to the run, Iris was stranded, and Ayesha collected the ball to throw it to the keeper and have the latter run out. Fatima then castled Babette, Silver Siegers, and Caroline de Lange to seal a big win for Pakistan.
Brief scores:
Pakistan 126/6 in 20 overs (Gull Feroza 63 not out, Ayesha Zafar 32; Iris Zwilling 2-19, Silver Siegers 1-17) beat Netherlands 89 all out in 18 overs (Babette de Leede 30, Heather Siegers 24; Farima Sana 3-12, Ayesha Zafar 3-13) by 37 runs
— IANS
Reader Comments
As an Indian cricket fan, I have to appreciate the skill on display here. Fatima Sana's bowling was world-class - pace, swing, and that devastating yorker. The Netherlands showed fighting spirit but were outclassed in the end. Would love to see Pakistan vs India match in this format - now that would be something! 🏏
Great defensive bowling performance by Pakistan. The spinners really choked the Dutch batting lineup. Still, the Netherlands deserve credit for their first World Cup appearance - they showed promise, especially Heather Siegers and Babette de Leede. This is how cricket grows globally. Looking forward to seeing more Associate nations in future tournaments.
Good win for Pakistan women's team but we need to talk about fielding. The run-out by direct hit was class, but there were still some sloppy moments. The batting too - only Gull Feroza and Ayesha contributed with the bat. Against stronger teams, 126 is not enough, no matter how good the bowling is. Still, happy to see women's cricket growing in the subcontinent 🇵🇰🇮🇳
The triple-wicket maiden by Fatima Sana - that was something special! 🎯 Cricket lovers in India will remember that spell. The Netherlands gave a good fight initially but the spinners were too good. Pakistan should have batted better though - 126 is chaseable if you bat well. Anyway, nice to end on a winning note. Looking forward to the next WC cycle!
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