Women's T20 WC: Just amazing to see and face the biggest players in the world, says Molkenboer
Bristol, June 27
Netherlands batter Phebe Molkenboer described her maiden Women's T20 World Cup experience as 'just amazing,' saying the chance to see and face the biggest players in the world has been invaluable for her growth as a young cricketer.
Netherlands, the tournament debutants, have been winless in the tournament so far and need a victory over Pakistan at the County Ground in Bristol to sign off from the competition on a high. "For me, I think just playing against the biggest players in the world, it's just amazing to see, to face them as a batter.
"Just getting the experience as a young player, and actually focusing on myself, and then actually performing if I can. And then just seeing them bat and bowl as well, it's just amazing," said Phebe in a pre-game chat with the broadcasters.
Speaking about her knock of 41 against South Africa, Phebe said, "It was good fun. We had a good partnership. It's always good to start the powerplay with some runs. I think we did really well at the start. So I'm really happy. It was a good pitch. The pitch is good. The outfield was pretty quick. So, if you just hit it nicely, then in the powerplay it will just roll for four."
Phebe, 20, further credited her strong sporting background for shaping her cricket career. Her sporting pedigree runs deep - grandfather Evert Schneider played Davis Cup tennis, mother Florentine competed at Wimbledon, while father Kuno is a single‑handicap golfer.
"As a kid growing up, you play lots of sports on holidays, in the weekends. So, I really enjoyed it, just to be active all the time. So yeah, it helped me with my cricket as well," she concluded.
— IANS
Reader Comments
It's amazing how her whole family are athletes - grandfather played tennis, mother played Wimbledon, father is a golfer. No wonder she's so talented! Netherlands cricket is growing fast.
Her knock of 41 against South Africa showed real class. For a 20-year-old debutant, that takes serious guts. And her attitude is so positive despite Netherlands not winning yet. That's the spirit of cricket! 🙌
While it's great to see associate nations getting exposure, I feel the gap between top teams and debutants is still too wide. ICC needs to do more to level the playing field. But credit to Phebe for making the most of this opportunity.
"Just amazing to see and face the biggest players" - this is exactly how every young cricketer should feel! No fear, just pure love for the game. Hope Netherlands get their first win against Pakistan. Best of luck, Phebe! 🏏
Her sports background is incredible - Davis Cup tennis, Wimbledon, pro golf... and she chose cricket! Shows how sports culture in Netherlands is so well-rounded. We need such multi-sport exposure in India too.
Nice to see a positive
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