First World Cup, No wins but Priceless experience: Netherlands’ Women…

The Netherlands might have failed to win a single game in the recently concluded ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, but it was still a historic campaign for them as it was their first-ever appearance in the tournament. After securing a spot in the mega event through the qualifiers, the Dutch Women were placed in Group A alongside Australia (the eventual champions), South Africa, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. It was quite obvious that a tough path awaited them, but it also gave them the opportunity to face teams like Australia and India for the first time.

How the campaign unfolded

Heading into the tournament, the Netherlands had registered their first-ever WT20I win over Bangladesh in a tri-series. That victory gave the team and their cheerful, colourful fans the belief that they could compete against relatively stronger teams. capturengo.com

Interestingly, their first-ever Women’s T20 World Cup match was also against Bangladesh in Birmingham. Batting first, they posted 139/8 before their bowlers stretched the contest to 19.1 overs, with Bangladesh winning by six wickets with five balls to spare.

Their second game was against India in Leeds, their first-ever meeting in the format. As expected, the Women in Blue dominated the contest. Batting first, India posted 209/5 before bundling out the Dutch Women for 114 in 17.3 overs.

Next came Australia, and once again their bowlers struggled, conceding 219/6 in Southampton, the joint-highest team total of the tournament. However, what followed was impressive. The Netherlands batters played out the full 20 overs, lost only three wickets and finished on 121. To stand up against a bowling attack comprising Lucy Hamilton, Kim Garth, Sophie Molineux, Georgia Wareham, Alana King, Ashleigh Gardner, Annabel Sutherland and Nicola Carey was a commendable effort.

That positive momentum continued in the next game against South Africa in Bristol. With the ball, they again conceded over 200, allowing 208/1. But with the bat, they once again played the full 20 overs and finished on 120/8 without being bowled out. This time, they showed fight against the likes of Marizanne Kapp, Shabnim Ismail and others.

In their final group-stage match against Pakistan in Bristol, the bowling unit made a strong comeback by restricting the Women in Green to 126/6. However, this time, the batting collapsed as they were bundled out for just 89. As a result, Netherlands finished their campaign without a point from five matches and ended with a net run rate of -3.276.

Positives

Skipper Babette de Leede led from the front with the bat, scoring 175 runs in five innings at an average of 43.75 and a strike rate of 96.15, including two fifties. One came against Bangladesh, while the other was an unbeaten 56 against the mighty Australians.

With the ball, leg-spinner Caroline de Lange finished with seven wickets in five innings at an economy rate of 7.20. Both players stood out with impressive individual performances in their respective departments.

Areas for improvement

The bowling needs to be more disciplined, especially the seam-bowling unit. Against teams like Australia, India and South Africa, the bowlers struggled to maintain a consistent line and length. Inexperience undoubtedly played a huge role, as it is never easy to stay composed against world-class batters, especially in a World Cup and, for many, for the first time.

The batting effort in some matches was commendable, but skipper Babette de Leede could have done with more support from the other end. Batters like Heather Siegers and Sterre Kalis showed glimpses of their ability, but they needed to be more consistent to make a significant impact. Overall, greater consistency as a batting unit remains an area to improve.

What lies ahead?

After experiencing the Women’s T20 World Cup for the first time, the primary target should now be to become regular participants in such global events. To improve their skills and gain more experience against stronger opponents, the Dutch Women need to play teams like Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka more regularly in the coming years.

That experience will help them prepare better before consistently taking on teams like Australia, England, India and South Africa.

One of the biggest positives for the Netherlands throughout the tournament was their supporters. The belief, enthusiasm and energy they brought to every game were wonderful to see. They will now hope this Netherlands team continue to grow, create more memorable moments and add many more historic chapters to their journey.

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Spain's teenage star Lamine Yamal shared a touching moment with Cristiano Ronaldo. Spain secured a dramatic 1-0 victory over Portugal in the World Cup Round of 16. This win marked the end of Cristiano Ronaldo's sixth and final FIFA World Cup appearance. Mikel Merino scored the decisive goal in second-half stoppage time for Spain. Ronaldo walked off the pitch in tears after his World Cup dream ended.

Seattle [US], July 7 (ANI): United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino called for patience following his side’s elimination from the FIFA World Cup 2026, saying the team had made considerable progress over the past year despite its Round of 16 defeat to Belgium, according to The Athletic.

Addressing reporters after the United States’ disappointing 4-1 loss, Pochettino rejected the idea that closing the gap on the world’s leading football nations could happen overnight, stressing that development is a gradual process.

“The improvement or growth is not like you are in a rocket and you improve and go like this (upwards). One year ago, before the Gold Cup, no one believed we could arrive today against Belgium, one of the contenders to win the World Cup. In one year, we think we were in a mess, but today, thinking today the way we performed in the World Cup, we have improved a lot. But sometimes you need to go little by little," the USA head coach said, as quoted by The Athletic.

The United States manager said he was proud of his team’s performances during the tournament and highlighted the promise shown by the squad’s younger players.

“I’m so proud. In one year, this team, in all the circumstances, showed we can play football, we can compete, and there are a lot of young players with potential for the future. It’s about to keep believing in that process," he added.

Asked about his future beyond the World Cup and the status of his contract, Pochettino said it was not the right time to make any decisions, adding that he planned to take a short break before discussing the next steps.

“Now, it’s time to rest a little bit. To think, to have conversations to see what the decision is. I’m so happy. We’ve built a very good relationship. Now is not a moment to talk about that," he said, as quoted by The Athletic.

Coming to the match, Belgium stormed into the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup 2026 with a commanding 4-1 victory over the hosts, the United States, at Seattle Stadium.

Charles De Ketelaere starred with a brace to earn the Player of the Match award, while Hans Vanaken scored his first-ever FIFA World Cup goal and substitute Romelu Lukaku added a stoppage-time strike, marking his third consecutive World Cup match with a goal.

Belgium dominated much of the contest despite the USA briefly equalising through Malik Tillman’s deflected free-kick. A costly goalkeeping error by Matt Freese allowed Belgium to extend their lead before Lukaku sealed the emphatic win late on.

The defeat ended the United States’ campaign, making them the last of the three co-host nations to exit the tournament after Canada and Mexico.

Belgium will next face Spain in the quarter-finals on July 10 after the Spanish side knocked out Portugal in the Round of 16. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam is confident of leading the Test team again, having learned from his previous stints, as he looks to guide the side with a positive mindset and better planning.

On Monday, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) reinstated Babar as Test captain following the removal of Shan Masood.

Under Babar’s leadership, Pakistan won 10 of their 20 Tests, with four matches drawn and six defeats. Now back at the helm, Babar feels better prepared for the role than ever before.

“It is an honour for me to be leading Pakistan again,” Babar said in the PCB’s in-house digital interview, which was released on Monday. “I have learned from my past experience of leading the side and from playing as a member of the team. I am very confident this time and feel I have improved and matured. I will be leading this team with better planning and a positive mindset this time around. There were both positives and negatives during my last tenure, which I analysed, and that has given me greater clarity.”

Babar also outlined the areas that will be non-negotiable in building the team and said he expects a positive response from the players.

“My main focus is on discipline, fitness and performance, and there will be no compromise on any of them. They are of the utmost importance to me in building this team. I have always backed the players whenever I have led the team, but that can only be done when there is a positive response from the players,” Babar added.

The upcoming tour of the Caribbean, during which the West Indies will host Pakistan in a two-match Test series, will be Babar’s first assignment since returning as captain. It will be followed by a three-match Test series against England.

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