Pakistan Women vs Australia Women Match 21 Full Commentary

We are back for the chase! The Australia Women team are in a huddle just outside the ropes, before spreading out and taking their respective field positions.  Muneeba Ali and Gull Feroza are the two openers for Pakistan Women. Lucy Hamilton to start proceedings with the ball. Here we go...

... THE RUN CHASE ...

Early promise fades for Pakistan - Pakistan Women could not have asked for a better start, with Gull Feroza's stunner removing Beth Mooney off the very first ball. But they failed to build on that breakthrough as their bowlers lacked consistency and allowed Australia to take control. Nashra Sandhu and Rameen Shamim sparked a brief fightback with a few quick wickets, but sloppy fielding, 21 extras, and a tough outing behind the stumps for Muneeba Ali only added to their woes. A huge chase now awaits Pakistan, but with nothing to lose, expect them to come out swinging. Join us in a bit for the second essay.

A quick chat - Georgia Voll laughs it off when asked about keeping, saying her gloves are warming up nicely in the kitbag and also adds that she has got the spare ones given by Mooney. But she does not think they will be needed in this game. On her batting effort, she admits that she was a bit slow at the start but says Perry was going from the other end which made her job easier. On her conversations with Perry in the middle, Voll details that Perry was hitting the ball really well and admits she was jumping off her back a little. She calls Perry's knock exceptional and says it made her own job a lot easier at the other end. Her role, she explains, was to get Perry back on strike as much as possible while also making sure she was punishing the deliveries that came into her area. On the message to the bowlers, she says it is a good wicket and feels the key is to hit a nice length and mix in some variations. She stresses that bowling well is a must on a surface this good for batting. On her World Cup experience so far, Voll says it has been good but laughs that there has been a lot of time spent on the bus travelling. She mentions they have a long trip to London after this match, and says she is looking forward to getting there.

Perry leads the way - Despite losing Beth Mooney off the very first ball, Australia Women never looked rattled. Ellyse Perry showcased all her class with a superb knock and found excellent support from Georgia Voll as the duo stitched together a century stand to wrest complete control of the innings. Perry brought up a fine fifty, and although Australia suffered a mini-collapse, slipping from 100/1 to 107/4, the veteran carried on unfazed, finishing with a brilliant 71 off 48 balls. A couple of late cameos from Nicole Carey and Annabel Sutherland then provided the finishing touches, taking Australia to the doorstep of the 200-run mark.

Australia mean business - Yet another commanding batting display from Australia Women! With every passing game, they seem to be hitting another gear, sending a clear message to the rest of the field that they are firmly focused on the big prize. They have piled on another imposing total, and with a formidable bowling attack at their disposal, they will now back themselves to finish the job and seal yet another comfortable victory.

Fatima Sana will bowl the final over.

Into the tail now. Alana King walks out to bat.

Sadia Iqbal to bowl the penultimate over.

The next batter in is Sophie Molineux.

Fatima Sana is back on.

Over and out from Headingley - A pretty one-sided contest comes to an end, which was also the last match at Leeds in this T20 World Cup. Up next, the Home of Cricket is all set to host its first game of the tournament, as England Women take on West Indies Women. Two unbeaten sides and the winner of that clash will confirm the semifinal berth. That game will be played at Lord's on Wednesday, 24th June, 2026 and the first ball is scheduled to be bowled at 5.30 pm GMT. But our buildup will begin well in advance, so do tune in for that and all the exciting pre-match updates as well. Until then, cheers!

Kangaroos with a big leap - Four games, four wins. The Australian juggernaut seems to have no stopping and the confidence is oozing through the camp. But still, their qualification is just not confirmed yet, with the likes of India and South Africa breathing down their necks. With a bit of wrinkles to iron out in their batting order, the Aussies will now travel to Lord's for one of their toughest challenges as they face India Women on Sunday, 28th June, 2026. As for Pakistan, they will take a trip to Bristol for their final league game, against the Netherlands, on Saturday, 27th June, 2026. They will aim to end their campaign and head home with something positive to take from the global event.

The victorious captain of Australia Women - Sophie Molineux says it was a great night for cricket, with a nice crowd in attendance, and is pleased with the win. She adds that she is enjoying captaincy despite it being a different and challenging experience over the last few months, crediting the players and support staff for helping her settle into the role. She believes the side's depth gives them plenty of flexibility, allowing them to adapt to conditions, opposition and batting orders, calling it a good problem to have. She is particularly pleased with the batters' response after losing an early wicket, highlighting the massive Powerplay and praising Perry for her attacking intent and Voll for striking the ball beautifully. She adds that players stepping up at different moments will be crucial moving forward. On areas to improve, she says the team will review the game as always, as there are still boxes to tick despite some strong wins this season, and insists they will continue striving to get better.

The Pakistani captain - Fatima Sana is blunt in her assessment, saying Pakistan played poor cricket and the whole team has to accept that. On their preparation heading into the tournament, she says they put in a lot of practice back in Pakistan and the sessions were good, but she admits they needed a better response from the players out in the middle. On the positives, she points to the bowling, saying Pakistan did well with the ball, considering the start Australia got. She singles out Nashra and Sadia for praise, calling their efforts awesome, but highlights that the team needs more players to step up and support them. She admits Pakistan have been struggling in that regard, and while they have good performers in the side, they need others to consistently contribute around them.

... Time to hear it from the two captains ...

Tormented the bowlers - Mooney was gone first ball, first over, and Pakistan thought they had their opening. They were wrong. Perry and Voll walked out, sized up the situation, and proceeded to make Leeds look very small. Perry was imperious at one end, Voll kept the scoreboard ticking and threw the odd haymaker at the other, and between them they wrung the life out of Pakistan's bowling with a century stand that settled the contest well ahead of schedule. A clutch of wickets through the middle gave Pakistan a brief flutter of hope, but it was short-lived. Carey came in late, and had a big swing, pushing Australia deep into 190-plus territory. For Pakistan, Sadia Iqbal, Rameen Shamim, and Nashra Sandhu took two wickets each, but the rest of the bowling group just didn't make any kind of impact.

A sizzling bowling display - Australia's depth across both departments is something else entirely. It showed again today, with the bat doing the early damage and eight bowling options rotating through, each capable of taking wickets on any given day. Pakistan never got a foothold, and that is exactly what happens when you come up against a side this complete. The likes of Molineux, Perry and Sutherland chipped in with a couple of wickets, with Wareham picking one of her own. But Pakistan would admit that their misery was more self-inflicted, with as many as three run outs.

Pakistan crumbled under their own weight - Pakistan had a mountain to chase and proceeded to make it steeper themselves. A couple of run outs in the early stages strangled any momentum before it could breathe, and from that point, the chase never truly lived. Muneeba Ali and Iram Javed tried their best to drag Pakistan back into the contest, but Wareham stepped in at the right moment, broke the partnership, and sent the middle order into a spin. Perry then turned the screw with a double strike, and once Muneeba fell, there was nothing left to hold the innings together. Wicket by wicket, Pakistan simply caved, the pressure of chasing 200 proving too much for a side that kept finding ways to hurt itself.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Ellyse Perry wins the award for her all-round contribution. She scored her maiden T20 World Cup fifty, eventually ending up with 71 (48) and also picked up a couple of wickets. Perry says she enjoyed the knock and batting alongside Georgia Voll. Adds that it is good to get back some momentum and calls Leeds a great place to play cricket. Mentions that she got a bit lucky with the wickets but enjoyed her bowling too. Says that Pakistan Women challenged them with good intent throughout the innings. Perry shares that the wicket was good to bat on and Powerplay is where you can score the runs. They wanted to keep the momentum going and once a platform was set, they eyed 10 runs an over and something around 200, which they got eventually. Admits that they also lost a few wickets and could be more polished. Concludes by saying that she really enjoys all the challenges that come with playing cricket. She is training well, and with the modern game going at such a fast pace, you have to keep up with that.

The Aussies boss it up and how! Smiles all around the Australian camp, and why not. Total domination from start to finish, crushing Pakistan by 113 runs, their biggest ever margin in T20 World Cup history. Four wins on the trot now, and Australia have almost, almost confirmed their qualification to the next stage. They have made their statement loud and clear with an absolutely commanding performance across all departments. With more than six overs to spare in the end, Pakistan had their moments in the field but some truly shambolic running between the wickets gave them absolutely no chance to recover. They were already eliminated, but this was a chance to improve and put on a collective effort but once again, they failed at it.

DRINKS! Well, the result is pretty much inevitable here, with Australia Women just one wicket away from the win now. They will want to wrap this up as quickly as possible, while for Pakistan Women, they are heading towards yet another crushing defeat in this World Cup. Also, Sadia Iqbal is the last batter in.

Annabel Sutherland replaces Ashleigh Gardner.