Australia won the toss and elected to bowl first against Bangladesh in the 9th match of the Women's T20 World Cup 2026 at Headingley on Wednesday. The six-time champions have been dealt a double blow, as Ashleigh Gardner is out due to an ankle sprain, while Phoebe Litchfield is also missing the match with a quad injury.

Australia entered the contest after a dominant 65-run win over South Africa, where they relied exclusively on spin, fielding Sophie Molineux, Gardner, Georgia Wareham, and Alana King together. With Leeds expected to be less favourable for slow bowlers, experienced pacer Megan Schutt has been brought in to bolster the attack.

Bangladesh, meanwhile, has little reason to change a winning formula. They opened their campaign with a controlled six-wicket victory over the Netherlands, with debutant opener Juairiya Ferdous laying the platform through a fluent fifty before Sharmin Akter Supta finished the chase.

Past meetings also point towards Australian dominance. They comfortably defeated Bangladesh in Canberra during the 2020 edition after Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney combined for a century opening stand. In 2023, Georgia Wareham's three-wicket haul restricted Bangladesh to 107 before Meg Lanning anchored a straightforward chase.

After winning the toss, Australia skipper Sophie Molineux said:
"We'll have a bowl. Just having a look at the pitch, it's a little bit soft on top. Hopefully, we'll get the best of it with our seamers. The outfield looks a lot faster. Beautiful ground, never been here before. Two changes – Phoebe Litchfield and Ash Gardner are out. Just a couple of injuries. Poor Ash had a bit of a fall, sprained ankle, and will be fine for the next game."

After losing the toss, Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana said:
"Really wanted to bat first, wanted to give the batting unit the freedom. It's all about the mindset. Have the belief that if we can execute our plans, we have a chance. For a long time, we have been concerned about our top order. We found someone who can go after the bowlers (Ferdous). We're introducing off-spinners as they have three left-handers."

Playing XIs

Bangladesh: Dilara Akter, Juairiya Ferdous, Nigar Sultana (wk/c), Sobhana Mostary, Sharmin Akhter, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Nahida Akter, Rabeya Khan, Sultana Khatun, Marufa Akter

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