England Dominates Sri Lanka in ICC Women's T20 World Cup Opener

England's Impressive Start in T20 World Cup

Birmingham [UK], June 13: England kicked off their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup campaign with a commanding 87-run victory against Sri Lanka in Birmingham on Saturday, thanks to a remarkable century from Danni Wyatt-Hodge and swift contributions from Amy Jones and captain Nat Sciver-Brunt.

After being invited to bat first by Sri Lanka, England set a formidable target, scoring 219 runs for the loss of just one wicket in their 20 overs, marking their highest total in women's T20 internationals. Danni Wyatt-Hodge remained not out at 105 runs off 62 deliveries, hitting 15 fours and a six, achieving her third century in women's T20Is.

She formed a record 135-run partnership for the first wicket with wicketkeeper Amy Jones, who contributed 53 runs from 38 balls, including four boundaries and a six, setting a new record for England in the women's T20 World Cup.

Captain Sciver-Brunt also made her mark, scoring a brisk 46 runs off 22 balls, which included six fours and a six, making her the second English woman to surpass 3,000 runs in T20 internationals. She now has a total of 3,006 runs in 138 matches, averaging 29.47 with a strike rate nearing 120, including 18 fifties and a top score of 82.

For Sri Lanka, Malki Madara was the only bowler to claim a wicket, finishing with figures of 1/51.

In response, Sri Lanka was bowled out for 132 runs in their allotted overs. Harshitha Samarawickrama and Nilakshika Silva were the only players to reach double figures, scoring 29 and 39 runs respectively.

Freya Kemp was the standout bowler for England, taking 4 wickets for just 22 runs, while Sophie Ecclestone and Charlie Dean supported well with 2 wickets each. With her impressive four-wicket haul, Freya became the third woman to achieve this feat on her T20 World Cup debut, joining her teammate Danni and former Indian bowler Diana David.