Wyatt-Hodge century powers England to big win over Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup opener

LONDON: England began their Women's T20 World Cup campaign with an emphatic 87-run victory over Sri Lanka on Friday, driven by an unbeaten century from Danni Wyatt-Hodge at Edgbaston.

Wyatt-Hodge struck 105 not out from 62 balls as England posted 219-1, their highest total in the tournament. The score surpassed their previous best of 213-5 against Pakistan in 2023. It was the fifth century by an England player in women's T20 internationals at the World Cup, with Wyatt-Hodge accounting for three of them.

The England batter, whose wife Georgie gave birth to their daughter Daisy last month, marked the innings with a cradle-rocking celebration. The knock also came after a difficult return from maternity leave, with Wyatt-Hodge having recorded single-figure scores in each of her previous three innings.

Sri Lanka's bowling and fielding struggles added to England's dominance. Their six bowlers conceded 23 fours and three sixes, while the side also put down three catches. Amy Jones contributed 53 as England built a commanding platform.

In reply, Sri Lanka were dismissed for 132 and never mounted a serious chase. Freya Kemp led England's bowling effort with 4-21, while Charlie Dean and Sophie Ecclestone claimed two wickets each. A brief scores section listed Kemp's figures as 4-22.

Speaking after the match, Wyatt-Hodge said:

"It was great fun out there. What a crowd. What a start,"

She added:

It's important to capitalise on nights like tonight. I said when I got to 50: 'right, double it now'.

On her celebration, Wyatt-Hodge said:

"My celebration was for my daughter Daisy. I hope TV got it!"

Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu acknowledged her side had fallen short.

"We are not playing our best cricket or doing our best,"

She said the team needed a better approach with the bat.

We need to play positive and fearless cricket. We lost our momentum in the powerplay, and we need to improve our batting.

Looking ahead to Sri Lanka's next fixture, Athapaththu said:

Our next game is New Zealand which is a tough game and we need to execute our plans. We have to go back to the classroom and bounce back.