Australia Women arrive in Southampton as one of the form teams of the tournament. They began with 172/8 against South Africa, a total built on a 24-ball fifty from Phoebe Litchfield before she retired hurt, and then Georgia Wareham took 3/13 as South Africa were dismissed for 107. Against Bangladesh, Kim Garth, Ellyse Perry and Sophie Molineux took two wickets apiece to hold them to 77/8, and Georgia Voll’s unbeaten 45 off 32 balls sealed a chase with more than ten overs to spare.
The bowling has been Australia’s calling card. Wareham and Molineux have four wickets each, and no opponent has yet passed 110. Beth Mooney has had a quiet start with the bat, but Perry has chipped in with runs and wickets, and Litchfield is expected back from injury to strengthen the top order. Grace Harris is the alternative for that slot.
The Netherlands have been competitive in patches without managing a full performance. They lost by six wickets to Bangladesh, then fell by 95 runs to India, bowled out for 114 chasing 210. Their net run rate stands at -2.611. Captain Babette de Leede has been the standout, with a 50 off 45 balls in the opener, and Heather Siegers and Phebe Molkenboer have added useful runs. With the ball, Caroline de Lange leads the wicket column and Iris Zwilling has shown promise.
Unless the Dutch top order fires, Australia’s depth should tell, and our preview expects another comfortable result for them.
