Women's T20WC: Danni's ton leads clinical England to 87-run win over SL in opener
Birmingham, June 13
A sensational century from Danni Wyatt-Hodge and quickfire knocks from Amy Jones and skipper Nat-Sciver Brunt helped the hosts England start their ICC Women's T20 World Cup bid with a thumping 87-run win over Sri Lanka at Birmingham on Saturday.
Put to bat first by Sri Lanka, England posted a massive 219/1 in their 20 overs, their highest total in women's T20Is. Danni stayed unbeaten at 105* in 62 balls, with 15 fours and a six. This was her third ton for England in women's T20Is.
Also, Danni put a 135-run opening stand for the first wicket with wicketkeeper-batter Amy Jones (53 in 38 balls, with four boundaries and a six), the highest for England in women's T20 WC.
Sciver, the skipper, became the second English women's cricketer to reach 3,000 T20I runs with a quick 46* in 22 balls, with six fours and a six. Now, she has 3,006 runs in 138 matches and 132 innings at an average of 29.47 and a strike rate of almost 120, with 18 fifties and a best score of 82.
Malki Madara (1/51) was the only SL bowler to get a wicket.
In reply, SL skittled out for 132 runs in 20 overs. Harshitha Samarawickrama (29 in 18 balls) and Nilakshika Silva (39 in 33 balls) were the only ones to cross the 200-run mark.
Freya Kemp (4/22) dismantled the Sri Lankan batting, with Sophie Ecclestone (2/27) and Charlie Dean (2/18 in three overs) playing a sensational supporting role. With her four-wicket haul, Freya became the third women's cricketer to get a four-fer on her T20 World Cup debut, joining her teammate Danni and former Indian bowler Diana David.
— ANI
Reader Comments
219/1 in 20 overs! That's some serious hitting. Poor Sri Lanka didn't stand a chance after that. England looking very strong for the title. Also great to see young Freya Kemp taking 4 wickets on debut - future star for sure! 🏏
Honestly, this shows the gap between top teams and others. SL's bowling was totally ineffective. But credit to England - they've set a benchmark. Hope India learns from this approach - need more aggressive batting in powerplay!
Great win for England but I think the Sri Lankan team deserved better preparation. They looked totally out of depth. Meanwhile, Danni's innings was breathtaking - 15 fours is insane! Feel for the SL bowlers though.
As a cricket fan from India, I'm torn. Happy to see women's cricket growing with such big scores, but sad for Sri Lanka who couldn't even cross 150. This World Cup is going to be brutal for the minnows unless pitches help bowlers. 🌧️
England women are looking unstoppable! But I worry about the tournament quality if every match is this one-sided. BCCI should push for more competitive associate cricket to bridge the gap. Still, chalo ab dekhte hain India kya karta hai! 🏆
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