Ireland go home no longer burdened by the streak and adding to an historic weekend in which the men defeated India for the first time in a T20 in Belfast.
| Photo Credit: AP
Ireland has finally won in the Women’s Twenty20 World Cup. The Irish ended a 0-21 losing streak across five tournaments going back 12 years when they defeated the West Indies by six wickets with 11 balls remaining on Saturday (June 27, 2026).
The West Indies would have qualified for the semifinals if it had won. Instead, the defeat gave a lifeline to defending champion New Zealand.
The Kiwis will progress if they beat England later Saturday. If semifinal-bound England wins, the West Indies go on instead.
Ireland go home no longer burdened by the streak and adding to an historic weekend in which the men defeated India for the first time in a T20 in Belfast.
The women limited the West Indies to 128-7 and Orla Prendergast led the chase with a 44-ball 63. She was caught 21 runs from victory but Rebecca Stokell and Louise Little finished it off with Little hitting the winning boundary over mid-on for 129-4.
“(Winning) just means so much,” Prendergast said. “We have had the belief throughout but it had not come together just yet. Just so much relief to have that win and so much happiness.”
The West Indies struggled to get much going on a sticky pitch, especially against Irish bowlers Cara Murray and Aimee Maguire.
Captain Hayley Matthews and Deandra Dottin hit a slow 22 and 21 and Chinelle Henry added a quickfire unbeaten 27 at the end. Irish misfields gave the West Indies at least three boundaries.
Prendergast joined opener Amy Hunter in the fifth over and passed her score by the ninth. Hunter fed Prendergast the strike and they added 62 together.
Prendergast reached her second fifty of this World Cup off 36 balls and was given out on 56 but overturned that on review. She was caught at deep square leg in the 16th over but had done enough.
In a matchup of winless teams, Pakistan beat the Netherlands by 37 runs.
The Dutch, on debut, targeted this one for a win and did well to restrict Pakistan to 126-6. Only opener Gull Feroza prevented a much lower score. Dropped on 10, Feroza used the life brilliantly to carry her bat to her first T20 World Cup fifty and an unbeaten 63 off 52 balls including nine boundaries.
She featured in a 79-run stand with Ayesha Zafar, who scored 32.
Iris Zwilling (2-19), Heather Siegers (1-28) and Hannah Landheer (1-19) led the Dutch bowling but Pakistan was even better to dismiss the Netherlands for 89 in 18 overs.
Heather Siegers gave the Dutch chase a great launch but after the powerplay the brakes were applied by Nashra Sandhu, Tuba Hassan and Zafar, who earned a T20 career-best 3-13.
With the result secure, Pakistan captain Fatima Sana took three wickets — all bowled — in the 18th and last over, including Dutch top-scorer and captain Babette de Leede on 30.
Published – June 28, 2026 06:01 am IST
