New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Ireland and Scotland emerged victorious on day three of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 warm-ups.
New Zealand gave an early reminder of their strength as they saw off South Africa in the warm-up match ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 on Tuesday. Sri Lanka were also on the winning side as they cruised to a victory over the Netherlands.
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In the other games earlier in the day, Ireland beat Bangladesh and Scotland saw off Pakistan to gear up for the T20 World Cup in solid fashion. The Women’s T20 World Cup, which will take place across seven venues in England, begins later in the week, on June 12.
Ireland v Bangladesh
In a low-scoring game, Ireland edged past Bangladesh by 11 runs in Loughborough. While both the teams still have some wrinkles to iron out, Ireland will take heart from the performance of the younger players in the team.
Ava Canning’s late flourish took Ireland to 143/9, and Aimee Maguire’s four-wicket haul helped them restrict Bangladesh to 132/6. It is their last warm-up game, before they face Scotland in Manchester in a World Cup clash on June 13.
Put into bat, wicketkeeper-batter Amy Hunter gave Ireland a decent enough start, Ireland managed 42/2 in powerplay but soon crashed to 43/4.
Leah Paul and Rebecca Stokell went into damage-control mode, playing with caution and rotating the strike to stitch a 43-run stand for the fifth wicket. Stokell’s 30 off 23 was the highest individual score for Ireland on the day. But Paul’s exit in the 13th over triggered another mini-collapse.
It was only some big hitting by Canning in the final over that took Ireland beyond 140. Canning struck back-to-back sixes, and a four to help her team garner 21 runs in the last over.
Six of the seven bowlers they employed on the day returned with wickets. Left-arm spinner Sanjida Akter Meghla was the pick of the lot, claiming three for 26 in her four overs.
In reply, Maguire gave Ireland the perfect start, as she bowled Dilara Akter on the third ball of the innings, with Bangladesh still to get off the mark.
However, the Asian side soon found their way back as Juairiya Ferdous and Sharmin Akhter put on 77 runs for the second wicket. Ferdous found her range, hitting 10 fours for a brisk half-century, but Akhter used up 40 balls for 27.
The wind was knocked out of Bangladesh’s sails after Ferdous fell to Lara McBride. In her second spell, left-arm spinner Maguire ran through the Bangladesh middle order, dismissing Akther, captain Nigar Sultana and all-rounder Sobhana Mostary in the space of two overs. Bangladesh lower-order did not have enough firepower in the death overs to cross the finish line.
Scotland v Pakistan
Scotland recorded a second win on the trot as they put on a dominant show against Pakistan, winning by 41 runs by the DLS method in Derby on Tuesday.
With captain Kathryn Bryce taking charge, Scotland piled on 191/5 after a watchful start in the warm-up game against Pakistan. In reply, Pakistan had slipped to 62/5 before rain stopped play.
Electing to field first, Pakistan kept Scotland in check in the opening overs, restricting them to 41/0 in powerplay. Left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal provided the breakthrough right after the first drinks break as she clean bowled Katherine Fraser with an arm ball.
However, the Scottish innings turned on a dime when Nashra Sundhu spilled a caught and bowled chance when Bryce was on six. Given a lease of life, the Scottish captain snatched the momentum from Pakistan. Putting on an awesome display of power-hitting, Bryce struck 11 fours and three sixes to score 94 off just 43 deliveries.
She shifted into a higher gear in the death overs, helping Scotland to 50 runs in the last three overs.
For Pakistan, Tasmia Rubab, Iqbal and Ayesha Zafar claimed a wicket each. But their catching and ground fielding let them down once again.
Facing a daunting total, Pakistan batters never really got going. With Rachel Slater claiming two quick wickets, they were reduced to 45/3 in powerplay. Captain Fatima Sana was unbeaten on 12 when rain stopped play.
With no further play possible, Scotland clinched the match by DLS method.
Sri Lanka v Netherlands
Sri Lanka completed a comfortable seven-wicket victory over the Netherlands after a disciplined bowling performance set up the chase.
After electing to bat, the Netherlands posted 143/6 from their 20 overs. The Dutch innings featured useful contributions throughout the order, with Babette de Leede’s 26 helping them establish a competitive total. Sri Lanka, however, finished strongly with the ball, claiming key wickets in the closing overs and restricting the scoring rate during the death overs.
The chase was anchored by Sri Lanka’s top order, who ensured the required rate never became a concern. Regular partnerships kept the innings on track as the Asian side steadily closed in on the target.
Sri Lanka eventually reached 146/3 in 19.1 overs, sealing a seven-wicket win with five balls to spare and continuing their encouraging form ahead of the tournament.
Hansima Karunaratne top scored for Sri Lanka with a well-made 54 off 42 deliveries and her knock was well supported by Harshitha Samarawickrama who added 36 off 34 deliveries.
The Netherlands showed glimpses of promise with the bat but were unable to apply sustained pressure during the defence of their total.
South Africa vs New Zealand
In a clash featuring the finalists of the 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup, history repeated itself as New Zealand got the better of South Africa. The White Ferns produced a composed run chase to defeat the Proteas by five wickets in a high-scoring contest at Loughborough.
Earlier, South Africa posted an imposing 183/5 after Chloe Tryon delivered one of the standout innings of the warm-up programme. The powerful all-rounder blasted an unbeaten 61 from just 26 deliveries, while Laura Wolvaardt (43) and Nadine de Klerk (46) also made significant contributions. Their efforts lifted the Proteas to a formidable total after they had slipped to 82/4 midway through the innings.
New Zealand responded positively and matched South Africa’s attacking intent throughout the chase. Despite regular wickets, the White Ferns maintained momentum and kept pace with the asking rate.
The result remained in the balance until the closing stages before New Zealand crossed the line on 184/5 with two balls remaining.
Captain Melie Kerr led from the front with the bat scoring 61 off 32 deliveries, an innings that was laced with nine boundaries and two sixes.
Georgia Plimmer (38) and Sophie Devine (28) were the other key contributors as the defending champions stormed to a win.
The victory gives New Zealand valuable momentum heading into the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, while South Africa will be encouraged by the batting display that nearly secured victory.
