Advertisement
Advertisement
COLOMBO: Skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt’s all-round performance powered England to an 89-run victory over hosts Sri Lanka in the 12th fixture of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 on Saturday.
Set 254 under lights at the R Premadasa Stadium, Sri Lanka’s batting line faltered and were bowled out for a mere 164 in 45.4 overs.
Vishmi Gunaratne, who came into bat for retired hurt Chamari Athapaththu, fell in the penultimate over of the powerplay after scoring 10 from nine balls.
As a result, Sri Lanka were 37-1, however, Hasini Perera and Harshitha Samarawickrama added 58 for the second wicket which steadied the Islanders in the chase.
England made a roaring comeback in the middle phase of the innings, removing both set batters, which reduced Sri Lanka to 98-3 in 22.3 overs.
Perera top-scored with 35 from 60 balls, striking three fours, while Samarawickrama made 33 from 37 with the aid of five fours.
Following the wickets, the three lions took control of the match, cutting through the middle order to secure a comfortable third win in the tournament and to go on top of the points table.
For England, Sophie Ecclestone picked up four wickets in her quota of 10 overs while giving away only 17.
Earlier, after being put on to bat first, England managed to post 253-9 in their 50 overs, courtesy of Nat Sciver-Brunt’s 117 from 117 balls, laced with nine fours and two sixes.
She remained the lynchpin of England’s batting lineup, ensuring that England reached a winning total despite losing wickets at the other end.
For Sri Lanka, Inoka Ranaweera starred with the ball, scalping three wickets, whereas Udeshika Prabodhani and Sugandika Kumari bagged two wickets each.
Sri Lanka: Chamari Athapaththu (capt), 2 Hasini Perera, 3 Harshitha Samarawickrama, 4 Vishmi Gunaratne, 5 Kavisha Dilhari, 6 Nilakshika de Silva, 7 Anushka Sanjeewani (wk), 8 Dewmi Vihanga, 9 Sugandika Kumari, 10 Inoka Ranaweera, 11 Udeshika Pabodani
England: 1 Tammy Beaumont, 2 Amy Jones (wk), 3 Heather Knight, 4 Nat Sciver-Brunt (capt), 5 Sophia Dunkley, 6 Emma Lamb, 7 Alice Capsey, 8 Charlie Dean, 9 Sophie Ecclestone, 10 Linsey Smith, 11 Lauren Bell
