Australia v Bangladesh: Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 – live

Key events

1st over: Bangladesh 3-0, (Ferdous 3, Dilara 0)

Schutt takes the new ball for Australia, as she has done so often in the past. She starts with a dot, before Ferdous plays a shot that sounds lovely off the bat and finds a gap, but it’s cut off before the boundary and it’s just a two in the end. Schutt finds some movement in the pitch late in the over – it’s a good over from her.

The Bangladesh opening pair of Dilara Akter Dola and Juairiya Ferdous are out in the middle now and we’re ready to begin!

The teams are on the field now for the national anthems – not long to go until the first ball is bowled!

Some Australian fans at Headingley. Photograph: George Wood/Getty Images

Of course there is a lot of sport going on across the world at the moment and I won’t be offended if you multiscreen to catch all the action. We’ve got a few other live blogs going at the moment, so get them all set up in the right windows before we get underway here.

• State of Origin (men’s rugby league)

• England v Croatia (men’s football)

• England v New Zealand (men’s cricket)

Ooh an email! Thanks to Dean Kinsella who wrote in to reiterate that we’re definitely following the superior World Cup.

“It’s a no-brainer to be following this world cup rather than the orange tinted one across the water. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the cricket thus far. I think the Aussies are going to be hard to beat judging by the way the Saffers were dispatched.”

Let’s see how Dean’s prediction pans out – things may be tougher for the Australians now with these injury concerns, but they do have a lot of depth in their squad. I think most teams would be pretty happy to have a Grace Harris and a Megan Schutt up their sleeves to bring in after injury.

The big news out of the Australian camp is that Ash Gardner and Phoebe Litchfield have both been ruled out due to injury. Here’s the official word from the team media manager:

Phoebe Litchfield suffered an acute quad injury while batting against South Africa. She is expected to miss Australia’s next three matches. This is a new injury.

Ashleigh Gardner is also unavailable for selection following an acute ankle inversion injury (sprain).

Bangladesh XI

1. Dilara Akter Dola

2. Juairiya Ferdous

3. Sharmin Akter Supta

4. Nigar Sultana Joty (c) (wk)

5. Sobhana Mostary

6. Shorna Akter

7. Ritu Moni

8. Nahida Akter

9. Rabeya Khan

10. Sultana Khatun

11. Marufa Akter

Australia XI

1. Beth Mooney (wk)

2. Georgia Voll

3. Ellyse Perry

4. Grace Harris

5. Georgia Wareham

6. Nicola Carey

7. Annabel Sutherland

8. Sophie Molineux (c)

9. Kim Garth

10. Alana King

11. Megan Schutt

Australia win the toss and choose to bowl

Sophie Molineux doesn’t hesitate at all to elect to field when the coin lands. After batting first in their last game, it’s not surprising they want an opportunity to chase. Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana reveals she would have chosen to bat anyway, so it’s win-win!

The captains take part in the coin toss. Photograph: Alex Davidson-ICC/ICC/Getty Images

The coverage has started and while there are some clouds in the sky, it looks mostly sunny, so that’s good news!

You can also read about some English woes if you’re that way inclined – captain Nat Sciver-Brunt had to retire hurt in yesterday’s less-than-comprehensive win over Ireland and they’re now waiting to see how the rest of the tournament will shape up for her.

While we wait for the toss, why not keep yourself entertained with this great preview piece on Australia’s approach to this World Cup from my colleague Martin Pegan?

Today’s match is at Headingley and while it looks like there may be a little rain on the Met Office radar passing over Leeds at the moment, it should clear fairly quickly. Let’s hope it doesn’t delay the start of play!

Preamble

Hello! It seems the whole world has come down with a serious case of World Cup fever and I’m certainly glad you’ve chosen this World Cup to follow along with me. Tonight we have Australia v Bangladesh, with both teams coming off wins in their opening games. Australia spun a web to take a comprehensive 65-wicket win over South Africa, while Bangladesh beat the Netherlands by six wickets thanks to a solid 50 from opener Juairiya Ferdous.

While Australia are certainly favourites for this match, I wouldn’t write off Bangaldesh, especially with their tails up following a good win. There’s plenty to discuss, so let’s get into it. Don’t forget if you have any thoughts on the match, you can drop me an email – I’d love to hear from you!