Australia flogs the Netherlands, Bangladesh beats Pakistan at Women's T20 World Cup

SOUTHAMPTON, England (AP) — Australia earned a third convincing win at the Women's Twenty20 World Cup when it beat the Netherlands by 98 runs Saturday.

Australia reached 200 in the World Cup for the first time and equaled the highest-ever tournament total, 219-6. The Netherlands was kept to 121-3 at the Rose Bowl.

Bangladesh then eliminated Pakistan by 23 runs with two great comebacks to stay in the hunt for a first semifinal.

Opening batter Beth Mooney gave Australia a scare when she retired on 74 off 42 balls with a stiff back. But she said afterward she was fine.

“I'm all good, just precautionary,” Mooney said. “Probably just not used to all the bus travel we've been doing.”

Mooney shared 50 runs off 28 balls for the opening wicket with Georgia Voll (17) and 101 off 55 with Ash Gardner (58), who returned from an ankle sprain.

Georgia Wareham swept Australia past 200 with 41 off 18 including 32 runs from boundaries.

With Mooney sidelined, Australia didn't have a backup wicketkeeper. The usual alternative, Phoebe Litchfield, was out with a quad issue. The gloves were given to Voll and she was tidy, taking a catch in the second over as pacer Kim Garth took 2-10 in her first two overs.

The Netherlands, appearing in its first World Cup, was never going to chase down 220 but captain Babette de Leede and Sterre Kalis combined for 96 from 91 balls from the fourth over to the 19th.

Kalis, dropped on 21 and 40, was bowled for 44 and captain de Leede, 56 not out off 57 balls, finished the match with Robine Rijke, both of whom were playing their 100th T20s.

“This is a massive moment for us,” de Leede said. “Australia are a quality team (so) to learn from them, see how they go about their innings, it's just incredible.”

Bangladesh recovered from 13-3 to post 123-6 and limited Pakistan to 100-8.

Pakistan has also lost to India and South Africa while Bangladesh has also beaten the Netherlands.

Bangladesh chose to bat first but was quickly 13-3. Captain Nigar Sultana held the innings together through the middle overs against the miserly bowling of Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Iqbal and opposite skipper Fatima Sana.

But then Bangladesh plundered 43 off the last four overs with a big finish by Shorna Akter; 39 runs off 22 balls.

Pakistan's chase of 124 started comfortably with openers Muneeba Ali and Gull Feroza combining for 49. After they were prised out, the turning point came in the 12th over when slow left-armer Sanjida Akter Meghla took two wickets to reduce Pakistan to 70-4.

Those setbacks tumbled Pakistan off its run-a-ball pace and it never recovered. Pakistan scored only 30 more runs in eight overs, tied down by the spin of Akter Meghla, Rabeya Khan and Nahida Akter.

Later Saturday was England vs. Scotland.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Marufa Akter of Bangladesh (right) reacts after bowling during the ICC Women's T20 World Cup match between Pakistan and Bangladesh, at the Hampshire Bowl, Southampton, England, Saturday June 20, 2026. (Andrew Matthews/PA via AP)

Shorna Akter of Bangladesh bats during the ICC Women's T20 World Cup match between Pakistan and Bangladesh, at the Hampshire Bowl, Southampton, England, Saturday June 20, 2026. (Andrew Matthews/PA via AP)

Georgia Voll of Australia, second left, celebrates the wicket of Phebe Molkenboer of the Netherlands during the Women's T20 World Cup match between Australia and Netherlands in Southampton, England, Saturday June 20, 2026. (Andrew Matthews/PA via AP)

Sterre Kalis of the Netherlands bats during the Women's T20 World Cup match between Australia and Netherlands in Southampton, England, Saturday June 20, 2026. (Andrew Matthews/PA via AP)

Beth Mooney, left, and Ashleigh Gardner of Australia celebrate a 100 partnership during the Women's T20 World Cup match between Australia and Netherlands in Southampton, England, Saturday June 20, 2026. (Andrew Matthews/PA via AP)

Beth Mooney of Australia bats during the Women's T20 World Cup match between Australia and Netherlands in Southampton, England, Saturday June 20, 2026. (Andrew Matthews/PA via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The paint is peeling from Washington's Reflecting Pool after the renovation ordered by President Donald Trump, and he is now alleging that someone damaged it intentionally.

“We’ve had some real problems with Vandalism at the beautiful Reflecting Pool," he posted on his social media site Friday night. "Just like three days ago, they destroyed the grass outside of the Pool, they’ve also done everything possible to hurt the inside surface that was just installed.” He offered no details to substantiate his claim.

Agencies responsible for law enforcement and upkeep on the National Mall — the U.S. Park Police, National Park Service and Interior Department — did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Washington Post reported that Park Police officers arrested someone on Friday who they said was peeling paint from the pool, an act that does not explain the clouds of algae in green water and swaths of loose blue paint detached from the bottom.

Trump insisted something nefarious was going on. “No different than the chemicals that were used on the National Mall, they used something similar in the Reflecting Pool to try to destroy and demean our beautiful work,” he posted on Truth Social.

That was a reference to the discovery of large numbers etched in discolored grass on the National Mall the week before: “86 47.” Authorities said the numbers could have been meant as a threat to Trump, the 47th president. The number 86 can be slang for “getting rid of.” They are investigating.

Trumps claims came after days of negative attention to the state of the pool, which he made a point of rehabbing to the tune of more than $14 million for the coming America 250 celebrations. The pool was swiftly beset by an algae bloom that returned its waters to the greenish color that Trump had tried to replace by having the bottom painted “American flag blue.”

Federal workers treated the pool with chemicals to kill the algae. Now chunks of the blue paint are gone, exposing its rocky bottom.

Water is pumped from a vacuum into a drain near the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Friday, June 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

A missing section of blue coating is seen at the edge of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Friday, June 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Visitors watch as a National Park Service employee uses a vacuum to clean the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool near a missing section of blue coating, Friday, June 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)