Australia v Pakistan, T20 World Cup: match preview

Match facts

Who: Australia v Pakistan

What: Match 21, ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, Group 1

When: Tuesday, June 23. First ball 6:30pm local time (3:30am June 24 AEST)

Where: Headingley, Leeds

Officials: Sue Redfern, Vrinda Rathi (on-field), Jacqueline Williams (TV), Shathira Jakir Jessy (fourth), Michell Pereira (referee)

News and reactions post-play: cricket.com.au and the CA Live app

Broadcast info

All 33 matches will be shown exclusively live on Prime Video in Australia, which holds the Aussie broadcast rights for all ICC events until the end of 2027. There is no free-to-air Australian television broadcast under the deal, however Prime Video have made this tournament free to access – you will still need a Prime account and to login, but no payment is required to watch matches from the tournament. You can sign up here for Prime Video – which includes a 30-day free trial.

If joining the broadcast late, Prime Video offers a ‘rapid recap’ feature, which will bring fans up to speed on the best action so far. Prime Video will also produce on-demand highlights packages after every match along with full match replays, available immediately after the match has finished.

The squads

Australia: Sophie Molineux (c), Ashleigh Gardner (vc), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Nicola Carey, Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham. Travelling reserve: Tahlia Wilson

Pakistan: Fatima Sana (c), Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Zafar, Diana Baig, Eyman Fatima, Gull Feroza, Iram Javed, Muneeba Ali (wk), Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Rameen Shamim, Sadia Iqbal, Saira Jabeen, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba Hassan

Possible XIs

Australia: Beth Mooney (wk), Georgia Voll, Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Georgia Wareham, Annabel Sutherland, Nicola Carey, Sophie Molineux (c), Alana King, Kim Garth, Megan Schutt

Australia will be crossing their fingers that Beth Mooney will be fit to open the batting and take the wicketkeeping gloves after she sat out the fielding innings against the Netherlands with a back spasm.

Lucy Hamilton was impressive on World Cup debut, and may have done enough to keep her spot in the XI, but Megan Schutt will likewise be pushing for a return.

Pakistan: Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali (wk), Ayesha Zafar, Iram Javed, Saira Jabeen, Aliya Riaz, Fatima Sana (c), Tuba Hassan, Tasmia Rubab, Nashra Sundhu, Sadia Iqbal

Pakistan made two changes for their most recent match against Bangladesh, bringing back pacer Tasmia Rubab in place of off-spinner Rameen Shamim, while allrounder Saira Jabeen replaced Natalia Pervaiz.

They may consider a return for Shamim, however, given she took two wickets against Australia at last year’s ODI World Cup, where Pakistan’s spinners alongside Sana reduced their highly favoured rivals to 7-76 before Beth Mooney’s rescue act propelled Australia to a winning total.

Perry and Garth reflect on dominant day for Aussie quicks

Australia v Pakistan World Cup history

Australia and Pakistan have met four times in women’s T20 World Cups, with the Aussies winning on each occasion.

Their closest encounter was their first one in 2012, with Australia prevailing by 25 runs. Their subsequent matches saw Australia win by 94 runs in 2014, 52 runs in 2018 and most recently, by nine wickets in Dubai in 2024.

In that match – perhaps best remembered for the devastating shoulder injury suffered by Tayla Vlaeminck just four balls into the match – Ashleigh Gardner took 4-21 as Pakistan were bowled out for 82.

Alyssa Healy was then forced to retire hurt with a foot injury that prematurely ended her World Cup, as Australia chased their target in 11 overs.

Group 1 latest

South Africa’s thrilling win over India has opened up the race for semi-final spots in Group 1. Australia sit atop the Group 1 table with three wins from as many matches, and will be eager to secure win No.4 and move closer to cementing their semi-final berth. Their net run-rate is healthy, and they’ll want a solid win over Pakistan to keep it that way.

After a stuttering start to the tournament, the Proteas got up and running with a victory over India and have two very winnable games against Bangladesh and the Netherlands – which could also bring a needed NRR boost – to come.

As it stands, it looks like the race for Group 1 semi-finals will come down to the final day of the group stage at Lord’s, where South Africa will play Bangladesh before India and Australia go head-to-head.

Players to watch

Kim Garth

Garth is Australia’s leading wicket taker after three matches, having claimed five scalps at an average of 10.20 and an economy rate of 5.10. She’ll be keen to get the ball moving under lights as she targets the Pakistan top order.

Fatima Sana

It is impossible to go past Pakistan captain Fatima Sana who has been doing it all with bat and ball despite her team’s struggles thus far.

She scored an unbeaten 55 from 38 balls batting at No.8 against South Africa and has taken seven wickets at 9.57 including hauls of 3-16 and 2-18 against Bangladesh and the Proteas respectively.

Local knowledge

Australia’s only previous T20I at Leeds came earlier this tournament, when they cruised to a nine-wicket win over Bangladesh.

Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Nicola Carey and Phoebe Litchfield have called the ground home in The Hundred and have an edge when it comes to sharing intel on the conditions.

Form guide

Past 10 matches, most recent first. W: win, L: loss, N: No result

Australia: W W W W W W L W L W

Australia’s World Cup campaign rolled on with a 98-run win over the Netherlands in Southampton. That followed their nine-wicket win over Bangladesh in Leeds, while they started the tournament with a statement 65-run win over South Africa at Old Trafford.

Prior to that, Australia swept the West Indies 3-0 in St Vincent and the Grenadines in March, but suffered a T20 series loss on home soil to India in February, going down 1-2.

Pakistan: L L L N N L L W W W

Pakistan are yet to win a game at this World Cup, with a heavy defeat to India followed by a narrow two-wicket loss to South Africa and a 23-run loss to Bangladesh.

Leading into the tournament, their preparation in a tri-series in Dublin was interrupted by rain, with two washouts alongside two losses to West Indies and Ireland.

Rapid Stats

Pakistan have lost each of their 14 women’s T20Is against Australia; indeed, Australia are the only side they have faced more than once in the format without ever beating them.
Australia have won 18 of their last 19 women’s T20Is on the road, including each of their last nine such games on the bounce; their only loss in this span was against South Africa in the semi-final of ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024.
Pakistan have lost 12 of their last 14 women’s T20I matches away from home, including each of their last five such games on the bounce; they last time they had a longer run of away losses was a six-game losing streak between February and October 2023.
11.5 per cent of all balls bowled by Australia have been back of a length, the second highest such share of any side in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 behind South Africa (12.5 per cent); however, Pakistan are the side to have taken the most wickets from back of a length deliveries in this tournament (3).
Australia batters have logged a batting dot ball rate of 19 per cent during the non-Powerplay overs in ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, the best such rate of any side; Pakistan, on the contrary have the poorest such rate of any side in the competition (44 per cent).
Batters have played at and missed 14.7 per cent of all balls bowled by Australia in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, the best such rate of any side; Pakistan bowlers have induced a play and miss rate of 9.7 per cent.
Australia’s Georgia Wareham has scored 28 runs at a strike rate of 280 during the death overs (overs 17-20) during ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, the second highest rate of any batter during this phase of the innings in the tournament (Freya Kemp – 310).
Fatima Sana has taken seven wickets at a strike rate of 9.2 at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, the best such rate of any Pakistan bowler with a minimum of five overs bowled in a single edition of the competition.
Nashra Sundhu is the only Pakistan bowler with a bowling economy rate lower than six at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 (5.6); she has conceded runs at more than seven an over only in three of her 10 women’s T20I innings this year.
Sophie Molineux (49) is one away from reaching 50 wickets for Australia in T20Is.
Ellyse Perry (49 catches) is one away from reaching 50 fielding dismissals for Australia in T20Is.

ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026

Australia squad: Sophie Molineux (c), Ashleigh Gardner (vc), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Nicola Carey, Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham. Travelling reserve: Tahlia Wilson

Australia’s Group 1 fixtures

June 13: beat South Africa by 65 runs

June 17: beat Bangladesh by nine wickets

June 20: beat Netherlands by 98 runs

June 24: v Pakistan, Headingley, Leeds, 3:30am AEST

June 28: v India, Lord’s, London, 11:30pm AEST

Semi-final 1: The Oval, London, June 30, 11:30pm AEST

Semi-final 2: The Oval, London, July 2 (3:30am July 3 AEST)

Final: Lord’s, London, July 5, 11:30pm AEST

Click here for the full tournament schedule

All matches will be broadcast on Amazon’s Prime Video