Women’s T20 World Cup results: Injury concern for Beth Mooney as Australia beat Netherlands

Women’s T20 World Cup, Group 1, Southampton

Australia 219-6 (20 overs): Mooney 74 (42), Gardner 58 (32); Zwilling 3-52

Netherlands 121-3 (20 overs): D lead 56* (57); Garth 2-20

Australia won by 98 runs

Scorecard; table

Beth Mooney hit a half-century but was hit by retirement as Australia cruised to a comfortable 98-run win over the Netherlands to maintain their unbeaten start to the Women’s T20 World Cup.

Mooney top-scored with 74 (42), Ash Gardner 58 (32) and Georgia Wareham 41 off 18 balls as Australia equal the highest Women’s World T20 score at 219-6 – England set against Sri Lanka before the tournament.

However, he pulled up after scoring two runs at the end of the 14th over and left the field immediately.

She did not return to wicket-keeping due to a stiff back and Georgia Vol took the gloves as emergency wicketkeeper Phoebe Litchfield was also absent with a quad injury.

The 22-year-old quickly got involved, moving sharply across first slip to remove Phoebe Molkenboer in the second over as Kim Garth struck twice in the powerplay to restrict the Netherlands to 27-2 after six overs.

Although Netherlands captain Babette de Leede (56 off 57) scored an unbeaten half-century in her 100th T20 and shared a 96-run partnership with Stere Kallis (44 off 43), Australia’s total was always out of reach.

Earlier, Mooney and Voll flew out of the blocks to bring Australia to 50 in five overs before Iris Zwilling and Heather Caesars struck in quick succession to remove Voll and Elise Perry before the powerplay ended.

Mooney combined with Gardner, returning from a sprained ankle to put on a 55-ball 101 for the third wicket against Bangladesh.

Gardner departed two balls after Mooney, holding out Kallis in the deep, but despite regular wickets falling in the last five overs, Wareham’s cameo of 41, including eight fours, took Australia past 200.