Australia beat Netherlands by 98 runs: Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 – as it happened
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EN: Using 'by [number] runs/points' to show the margin of victory in sports.
Our team won the basketball game by 10 points.
EN: Cricket is an extremely popular sport in Australia, and 'runs' are the units of scoring in the game. Winning by 98 runs is considered a very large and dominant margin of victory in T20 cricket.
EN: Use ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc.) before a noun to show the order or sequence of events. We usually put possessive pronouns (like 'their', 'my', 'his') or the word 'the' before the ordinal number.
This is my second time visiting Taiwan.
EN: The Women's T20 World Cup is a major international cricket tournament. T20 (Twenty20) is a shorter, fast-paced version of cricket that is very popular worldwide because matches finish in about three hours.
EN: We use 'in the first part of...' to describe something that happens during the beginning stage of an event, game, or period of time.
He scored a goal in the first part of the match.
EN: In cricket, points are called 'runs'. A team scores runs by hitting the ball and running between two sets of wickets, or by hitting the ball to the boundary.
EN: The conjunction 'so' is used to connect two clauses, where the second clause is the result of the first.
It was raining, so we stayed home.
EN: In sports commentary, 'catch up' is a common phrasal verb meaning to reach the same quality, standard, or score as an opponent who is currently winning.
EN: Use 'but' to connect two contrasting ideas. It shows a difference between the first part of the sentence and the second part.
The food was delicious, but the service was slow.
EN: In cricket, 'batting' and 'bowling' are the two main phases of the game. A team can be very good at hitting the ball (batting) but struggle with throwing the ball to get opponents out (bowling). This sentence highlights the balance of skills required in the sport.
EN: The Simple Past Tense is used to talk about completed actions in the past. Regular verbs form the past tense by adding '-ed' to the base form (e.g., 'use' becomes 'used').
They played soccer yesterday.
EN: In cricket, a team typically has 11 players, and usually only 5 or 6 of them bowl during a match. Using eight different bowlers is an unusually high number, which often indicates that the captain is experimenting with different tactics or that the main bowlers are not performing as expected.
EN: We use 'too many' before plural countable nouns to say that there is a larger number of something than is good or necessary.
There are too many cars on the road today.
EN: In cricket, 'bowlers' are the players who deliver the ball to the batter, similar to pitchers in baseball. Using eight different bowlers in a single T20 match (which only lasts 20 overs or 120 balls) is highly unusual and often considered a sign of tactical experimentation or a lack of bowling control.
EN: Use 'will + verb' to talk about future plans or events that are scheduled to happen.
We will watch the game tomorrow.
EN: In international sports, country names like 'Australia' are often treated as plural nouns (e.g., using 'their next match') because they refer to the team members collectively.
EN: Use 'Subject + was + adjective' to describe how someone felt in the past. 'Was' is the past tense of 'is' and is used with singular subjects.
The player was tired after the long game.
EN: In international sports, the captain of a team is not only a key player but also the main representative who speaks to the media after a match, regardless of whether the team won or lost.
EN: The pattern 'It is a/an [noun] for [someone] to [verb]' is used to describe how an action affects a specific person or group. 'It' is a placeholder, and the real action is described after 'to'.
It is a good chance for us to practice English.
EN: In international sports, smaller or developing teams (like the Netherlands in cricket) often view matches against world-class teams (like Australia) as valuable learning experiences rather than just competitions they must win. This reflects a sporting culture of mutual respect and growth.
EN: The word 'also' is used to add extra information. It usually goes before the main verb (like 'praised') but after the verb 'to be' (am, is, are, was, were).
She also plays tennis.
EN: In international sports, it is a common sign of sportsmanship for captains to praise their opponents after a match, regardless of the outcome. This shows respect and promotes goodwill between nations.
EN: We use 'really' before an adverb (like 'well') to mean 'very'. It makes the description stronger.
He runs really fast.
EN: In sports, it is a common sign of good sportsmanship for the winning captain (like Sophie Molineux of Australia) to praise the opposing team, especially when the opponents are semi-professional or associate players who balance work and sports.
EN: Using 'are not' (or 'aren't') to make negative sentences with plural nouns. It shows that a statement is not true for a group of people or things.
The students are not in the classroom.
EN: In many countries, cricket is a highly professional sport with wealthy leagues. However, in non-traditional cricket nations like the Netherlands, many players (especially in women's cricket) are semi-professional or amateurs who must balance their sport with regular jobs.
EN: The phrase 'had to' is the past tense of 'have to'. It is used to express that something was necessary or obligatory in the past.
We had to wake up early yesterday.
EN: In many sports, especially women's cricket in developing or smaller sporting nations, players are semi-professional or amateur. This means they do not earn enough money from sports alone and must balance regular jobs with representing their country in international tournaments.
EN: Use 'played well' to describe doing a good job in a game or activity. 'Well' is an adverb that describes the verb 'played'.
The team played well and won the game.
EN: The phrase 'women's sports event' highlights the growing global recognition and support for female athletes. In cricket, tournaments like the Women's T20 World Cup are helping to professionalize the sport for women globally, even though some players from smaller nations like the Netherlands still balance cricket with regular jobs.
EN: Use 'will' followed by the base form of a verb to talk about future plans or events that are scheduled to happen.
We will play tennis tomorrow.
EN: In international sports, country names like 'The Netherlands' are treated as plural nouns in British English (e.g., 'The Netherlands are playing'), but in American English and general simplified contexts, they can also be treated as singular or referred to by plural pronouns like 'they' to represent the team members.
Key vocabulary words with IPA pronunciation, definitions, example sentences, and interactive quizzes.
Phrases with type tags, bilingual definitions, usage notes, and example sentences.
To reach the same level or standard as someone who is ahead.
To spend time away from work or study for a specific reason.
Athletic events and competitions played exclusively by female athletes.