Belgium Women began their tour of Luxembourg on a winning note, defeating Luxembourg Women by 26 runs in the first T20I at Walferdange on August 22, 2026. After being put in to bat, Belgium produced a strong batting performance to reach 198/6 from their 20 overs, before Luxembourg fought hard in the chase but finished on 172/4. The result gives Belgium an early advantage in the Belgium Women vs Luxembourg Women T20I series, with both teams producing plenty of attacking cricket and a high-scoring contest.
Belgium’s innings got off to a steady start through Beatrice Pierre and Shweta Sinha, who combined for a substantial opening partnership. Pierre played a patient hand, scoring 37 from 49 deliveries with three fours, while Sinha provided greater impetus at the other end. The pair carried Belgium beyond the hundred-run mark before Pierre was dismissed for 37 in the 13th over, caught by Shivani Sati off Kerry Fraser. Their partnership had yielded 131 runs from 12.1 overs, laying the foundation for Belgium’s sizeable total.
Sinha continued to anchor the innings after Pierre’s departure and reached an impressive 63 off 61 balls, striking eight fours. She added 30 runs with captain Alix Brodin, who made 10 from 11 balls before being trapped lbw by Penelope Neighbour at 161. Arussa Ilahi then joined Sinha, but Belgium lost momentum briefly as Ilahi was dismissed for 2 from five balls, also falling to Neighbour. Sinha’s innings finally ended at 63 when she was run out by the combined efforts of Georgia Brealey and Ankita Mehta at 183.
The closing overs brought a frantic finish. Irma Vrignaud scored eight from 11 balls before being caught by Maria Serfioti off Shivani Sati, while Rosemary Lister was run out without scoring. Ankita Mehta remained unbeaten on a brisk seven from just four deliveries, including a boundary, helping Belgium close at 198/6 in 20 overs. Belgium’s innings was also boosted enormously by extras, with Luxembourg conceding 71 extras, including 48 wides and 21 no-balls, alongside two byes.
Luxembourg’s chase began positively, with Pooja Agarwal and Elena Gebhard putting together a 79-run opening stand after Pooja was promoted to the top of the order. Pooja scored a quick 10 from nine balls before she was caught by Attia Diwan Ali off Shweta Sinha in the fourth over, leaving Luxembourg 20/1. Gebhard, however, continued to hold the innings together and brought up a valuable 43 from 45 balls, including four fours.
Georgia Brealey joined Gebhard and helped Luxembourg move to 99 before Gebhard was caught by Vrignaud off Attia Diwan Ali in the 11th over. Brealey then added 14 with her before being run out for 24 off 26 balls, with Sinha and Vrignaud involved in the dismissal. At 113/3, Luxembourg still needed a substantial contribution from the middle order, and Penelope Neighbour and captain Aarti Priya provided exactly that.
The pair kept the chase alive with a 59-run fourth-wicket partnership. Priya scored 18 from 26 balls before being run out with Vrignaud and Arussa Ilahi combining for the dismissal in the 20th over. Neighbour remained unbeaten on 22 from 28 balls, but Luxembourg ultimately ended on 172/4, 26 runs short of Belgium’s target.
Belgium’s bowling attack had to work hard throughout the innings. Penelope Neighbour was the pick, taking 2/48 from four overs, while Kerry Fraser claimed 1/20 from 3.3 overs and Shivani Sati returned 1/33 from three overs. Jagrat Dubey bowled economically, conceding only 14 runs from 2.3 overs, while Georgia Brealey conceded 20 from two overs. Aarti Priya finished with 0/37 from four overs, while Stella Templeman Wykes and Elena Gebhard bowled 0.5 and 0.1 overs respectively, conceding 22 and two runs.
For Luxembourg, Arussa Ilahi was the most economical bowler, taking 0/20 from four overs. Shweta Sinha claimed 1/30 from four, while Alix Brodin conceded 34, Beatrice Pierre 43 and Attia Diwan Ali 25 from their respective spells, with Attia also taking one wicket. Ankita Mehta bowled one over for 18 runs. However, Luxembourg’s discipline with the ball proved costly, with 55 extras conceded, including 39 wides and 14 no-balls.
Belgium’s victory was ultimately built on the combination of Sinha’s composed 63, Pierre’s useful 37 and the late contributions that took them close to the 200-run mark. Luxembourg’s response was competitive, particularly through Gebhard, Brealey, Neighbour and Priya, but the early loss of wickets and the demanding required rate kept them behind the game. With Belgium winning the first T20I by 26 runs, the opening match of the Belgium Women tour of Luxembourg delivered a high-scoring contest and plenty of positives for both sides ahead of the next encounter.
I am Yash Tailor, and I believe work should be driven by passion. Therefore, after completing my Engineering, I chose to work in the Cricket industry, my passion. My goal is to reach a stage where I truly enjoy what I do and give my best to every task with energy and purpose.