Bristol, June 27 (IANS) 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

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