NewsWomen’s T20 World Cup 2026 warm-ups, Loughborough & Derby
South Africa v Ireland – SA won by 16 runs
South Africa 136-8 (18 overs); Ireland 120 all out (17.4 overs)
A tidy all-round shift, if not a flawless one, from South Africa. Laura Wolvaardt’s breezy 65 from just 37 balls dragged the total to 136, which felt slightly light at the break. “I was probably a boundary short,” she admitted on the stream, “but it was nice to spend time in the middle.”
Ireland never quite found the pace of the chase. Leah Paul battled for 29, yet Marizanne Kapp’s 4 for 24, helped by a typically skiddy four-over spell from the returning Shabnim Ismail, shut things down. Bowling into the breeze, Kapp said, “I just aimed at off stump and let the wicket do the rest.” South Africa will still talk about the six dropped chances, but, first hit-out ticked off, they’ll take the points.
New Zealand v Bangladesh – NZ won by 68 runs
New Zealand 193-3; Bangladesh 125-8
Champions New Zealand looked miles further down the prep road. Amelia (Melie) Kerr accelerated to an unbeaten 51, while Izzy Sharp’s 46 off 29 kept the rate near tens throughout. “Nice to see a few go over extra,” Sharp grinned.
Bangladesh struggled once the new ball lost its shine. Skipper Nigar Sultana’s 32 added respectability, though Nensi Patel’s probing 4-18 left the Tigers 68 short. Former White Ferns coach Haidee Tiffen, on commentary, noted, “Patel’s pace changes are hard to line up, even indoors—never mind out there with the cross-wind.”
Sri Lanka v Pakistan – SL won by nine wickets
Pakistan 168-8; Sri Lanka 169-1 (18.4 overs)
If there was a standout individual performance, Chamari Athapaththu provided it: 94 from 56 balls, five sixes, nine fours, and not much fuss. Together with Vishmi Gunaratne (63), she wiped off 169 with eight balls in hand. “Just see ball, hit ball,” Chamari laughed afterwards, before praising debutant seamer Chethana Vimukthi’s 4-31: “She swung it both ways, which was massive for us.”
Pakistan actually began brightly—60 without loss—yet a middle-order wobble, and no partnership after Fatima Sana’s brisk 37, left them twenty shy of par. Coach Mohtashim Rasheed summed it up: “Plenty of starts, no clincher. Lessons there.”
Scotland v Netherlands – SCO won by 58 runs
Scotland 163-5; Netherlands 105 all out
Scotland’s depth showed in Derby. Saskia Horley, Priyanaz Chatterji and Lorna Jack all chipped in either side of Kathryn Bryce’s neat 32, pushing them beyond 160. Netherlands, missing four regulars, relied on Frederique Overdijk’s unbeaten 28, but collapsed against spin: Katherine Fraser 3-21, Gaby Fontenla 2-2 and Abtaha Maqsood 2-20 shared seven wickets.
“Exact scenario we practised—defending under lights,” Scotland skipper Bryce said. “Good signs, though we leaked too many full-tosses.”
Takeaways
• Early wickets remain gold. Every winning side managed one inside the first three overs.
• Middle-order fluency is scarce; expect plenty of bowling-friendly PowerSurges once the tournament proper starts.
• Sri Lanka’s seam back-up to Athapaththu’s power could make them dark horses, a view echoed by former England quick Lydia Greenway: “If they field half-clean, they’ll nick a big one.”
Warm-ups rarely settle anything, yet four tidy results, a few eye-catching spells and no fresh injuries make it a productive couple of days. Next stop: the proper thing.
