Birmingham, June 14 (IANS) Netherlands captain Babette de Leede admitted her side fell short in all departments after suffering a six-wicket defeat to Bangladesh in their opening match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 at Edgbaston on Sunday.

The Dutch side posted 139/8 after batting first, with De Leede top-scoring with a fighting half-century. However, Bangladesh chased down the target in 19.1 overs thanks to a match-winning 50 from opener Juairiya Ferdous and an unbeaten partnership between Sharmin Akhter and Shorna Akter.

Reflecting on the defeat, De Leede felt her side failed to build enough momentum with the bat and left runs on the field.

“I think in all three aspects of the game, it wasn’t quite the fire we hoped for with the bat. I think we were a few runs short. We never really got going. We lost a bit too many wickets on the way,” De Leede said after the match.

The Netherlands also missed crucial opportunities in the field, including a dropped chance that allowed Ferdous to continue her innings and score a quickfire half-century.

“I think in the field as well, Bangladesh got off to a flyer. The fielding, we dropped a few catches in the beginning. So I think a lot to learn, a lot to improve from a great experience overall,” she added.

Despite Bangladesh’s strong start, the Dutch bowlers, particularly the spinners, pulled the game back during the middle overs by taking regular wickets and creating pressure on the batting side.

Praising that effort, De Leede said, “That was outstanding. I think our spinners bowled really well in that phase. As you said, they brought us right back in the game.”

The Netherlands reduced Bangladesh from a dominant position and briefly raised hopes of a comeback before Sharmin Akhter and Shorna Akter guided the Asian side home.

“We were in the game until the very last over, so it could have gone either way really. So great job for our spinners,” De Leede said.

The defeat marked a disappointing start to the tournament for the Netherlands, though the skipper remained optimistic that her side would learn from the experience and improve in the matches ahead.

–IANS

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