England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt made Sri Lanka pay for the dropped catch. She went all guns blazing and scored her 10th ODI ton and 5th in World Cups. Thanks to Nat Sciver-Brunt efforts and also efforts from other players England recovered from a tricky situation and get to 253/9 in 50 overs. For Sri Lanka, Inoka Ranaweera was the standout with 3/33 in 10 overs and the other bowlers chipped in as well. This game can still go either way but England will be the happier side at this stage.
England get off to a solid start despite losing 2 wickets in the powerplay
Put into bat first, Amy Jones and Tammy Beaumont came out to bat for England while Udeshika Prabodhani had ball in hand for Sri Lanka. Jones got off the mark with a boundary by leaning forward and looked to play the expansive drive away from the body to get a thick outside edge past short third man. Sugandika Kumari came into the attack from the other end. Kumari thought she had Beaumont LBW. But the batter reviewed it and got the decision in their favour by a successful review. Beaumont then pressed forward and drove it sweetly through covers for a boundary.
Prabodhani continued and bowled a decent over. Beaumont took the attack to Kumari by first paddle sweeping it past short fine leg and then cut Kumari past right of backward point for a boundary. Then against the run of play, Amy Jones was run out for 11 off 13 balls with a boundary to her name. The batters tried to steal a single and it meant that Jones was short of her ground at the striker’s end. Heather Knight walked out to bat next.
Prabodhani continued as Beaumont flicked it away to the fine leg region as the fielder at deep backward square leg dived and could not stop the ball. Beaumont then took the attack to Kumari by opening the face and getting it past right of backward point for a boundary. Sri Lanka then decided to challenge DRS against Knight. The replays showed it was clearly going down the leg side. Prabodhani continued and bowled a tight over. Kumari continued and bowled a decent over.
Captain Chamari Athapaththu came into the attack next. Chamari bowled a miserly first over. Chamari continued as Beaumont came down the wicket which was an arm ball around off stump which was an alarm early. Beaumont was the next one to depart as Kumari struck for Sri Lanka.
Beaumont made 32 off 39 balls with 6 fours to her name. Kumari tossed it up around off-stump around off-stump gripping and turning away a shade. Beaumont stepped down the track and swung hard bat across the line. The reverse sweep went to backward point region. Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt came back out there in the middle and got off the mark. England were 50/2 in 10 overs at the start of powerplay.
Heather Knight falls, Sciver-Brunt holds the innings together for England
Chamari continued and bowled a miserly over. The experienced Inoka Ranaweera came into the attack and bowled a miserly over. Chamari continued as Knight broke the shackles by slamming it over top of mid-on for a boundary. Then came the big moment in the game. Nat Sciver-Brunt was batting on 3 when she was dropped by Prabodhani at deep midwicket with the score at 63/2 in the 14th over. Chamari continued as Knight stepped out and get it over mid-on for a boundary.
Ranaweera continued and bowled a decent over. Sciver-Brunt then hit Chamari for a boundary through backward point. Ranaweera continued and kept things under check. Dewmi Vihanga came into the attack next as Nat Sciver-Brunt rocked back and pulled it away past forward square leg for a boundary. Sciver-Brunt then took on Ranaweera and deposited it over long-on for the maximum as the 100 came up for England in 19.1 overs. England reached 103/2 in 20 overs.
Vihanga continued and bowled a decent over. Ranaweera broke the budding stand as she removed Knight for 29 off 47 balls with 2 fours to her name. Ranaweera bowled a length ball around off-stump gripping and turning away. Knight got down on one knee and looked to play the reverse sweep. It probably hit her arm and lobbed up in the air. Vihanga took the catch at first slip. The appeal was turned down. Chamari sent it upstairs and there was glove involved as the decision was overturned to OUT. Sophia Dunkley came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway.
Vihanga continued and bowled a decent over. Ranaweera bowled another decent over. Kavisha Dilhari came into the attack to bowl the 25th over. Sciver-Brunt swept away past short fine leg for a boundary. At the halfway stage of the innings, England were 125/3 in 25 overs.
Sri Lanka chip away at the wickets while Nat Sciver-Brunt holds the key for England.Â
Vihanga changed ends and bowled a miserly over. Dilhari continued and bowled a decent over. Vihanga continued as Nat Sciver-Brunt got to her 26th ODI fifty off 57 balls. Dilhari continued and kept things under check. Vihanga bowled another good over as Sri Lanka were 145/3 in 30 overs. Dilhari struck for Sri Lanka as she removed Dunkley for 18 off 30 balls.
Dilhari tossed it up full around the fourth stump line gripping and turning back in a shade. Dunkley pressed forward and drove it uppishly straight down the ground. Dilhari grabbed a good low catch with both hands on her follow through. Emma Lamb came out to bat next. Vihanga continued as the 150 came up for Sri Lanka in 31.2 overs. England were 150/4 in 32 overs when the second drinks break as taken.
Lamb then hit Dilhari for a boundary after the break by reverse sweeping it behind square on the off-side past short third man for a boundary. Lamb was not done yet as she got down on one knee and used the pace of the ball and paddle swept it down to the fine leg fence for a boundary. Sciver-Brunt hit Vihanga for a boundary by whipping it past midwicket.
Inoka Ranaweera returned to the attack as she removed Lamb for 13 off 13 balls with 2 fours to her name. Inoka from around the wicket bowled a tossed up delivery full around the middle stump line. Lamb shuffled across the stumps and got down on one knee and looked to play the paddle sweep. She missed it on the inside edge and the ball crashed onto the stumps. Alice Capsey came to the crease next.
Ranaweera had 2 in the over as she removed Capsey for a duck. Ranaweera tossed it up full around the off-stump gripping and turning away. Capsey was drawn forward as she looked to drive it through the covers. She was nowhere to the pitch of the ball. She got beaten on the outside edge. Sanjeewani collected the ball and whipped off the bails in a flash. Charlie Dean came out to bat next. Dilhari continued and bowled a miserly over. Ranaweera continued and bowled another miserly over.
Dilhari also kept things tight and bowled a miserly over. Ranaweera kept the stranglehold going and finished her excellent spell. Dilhari continued and bowled another miserly over as England after 40 overs were 179/6 with an important 10 overs remaining for both sides going forward.
Nat Sciver-Brunt’s scintillating 10th ODI ton propels England to 253/9
Sugandika Kumari continued as Dean reverse swept it to the left of backward point for a boundary. Prabodhani came back into the attack and bowled a decent over. Kumari also bowled a decent over as well. Sri Lanka asked for DRS against Sciver-Brunt for LBW but the ball pitched outside the leg stump and the review was burnt. The 200 came up for England in 44.1 overs. After 45 overs, England were 204/6.
Sciver-Brunt survived a direct hit at the striker’s end as the throw missed the stumps by a whisker. Prabodhani struck next getting rid of Dean for 19 off 36 balls with a boundary to her name. Prabodhani bowled a fuller length around off-stump. Dean shuffled across the stumps and got down on one knee. She looked to use the pace of the ball and scoop it over top of short fine leg as she failed to clear Vihanga at short fine leg who took the catch comfortably. Sophie Ecclestone came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway.
Sciver-Brunt smashed Kumari down the ground over the bowler’s head for a boundary. Kumari then got rid of Ecclestone for 3 off 4 balls as she was stumped down the leg side. Kumari bowled a length ball drifting down the leg side. Ecclestone missed the glance on the inside edge to the keeper. Sanjeewani moved to her left and collected the ball and whipped off the bails in a flash. Ecclestone missed the shot and left her crease. Linsey Smith came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway.
Nat Sciver-Brunt survived a run out scare at the bowler’s end as the bowler did not get fingertips to the ball. Sciver-Brunt got a triple. Nat Sciver-Brunt then got to her hundred in style with a maximum as she nailed the inside out shot over deep extra cover for the maximum. This was her 10th ODI century and 5th in World Cup history. Sciver-Brunt then pumped Kumari over the bowler’s head for a boundary.
Prabodhani came to bowl the final over as Sciver-Brunt caressed her through cover point for a boundary. She turned it on as she stayed leg side and carved it away through the point region for a boundary. She completed a hat-trick of boundaries by thumping it through extra cover and mid-off for a boundary. Prabodhani then removed Sciver-Brunt for 117 off 117 balls with 9 fours and 2 sixes to her name.
She bowled a juicy full toss around the fourth stump. Sciver-Brunt cleared her front leg and looked to smash it over the long-on fence. She mistimed it from the splice of the bat and didn’t get enough elevation on that one and the fielder at long-on took the catch. Nat had to go as the height of the ball was fine as well. Lauren Bell came out to bat and got off the mark as England finished with 253/9 in 50 overs with Smith remaining unbeaten on 5 off 6 balls while Lauren Bell finished unbeaten on 1 off 1 ball. 5 extras given by Sri Lanka bowlers.
Inoka Ranaweera was the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka with figures of 3/33 in 10 overs. Udeshika Prabodhani finished with 2/55 in 9 overs. Sugandika Kumari finished with 2/66 in 10 overs. Kavisha Dilhari finished with 1/34 in 8 overs. Chamari Athapaththu gave away 21 runs in 5 overs. Dewmi Vihanga gave away 42 runs in 8 overs. Sri Lanka now need 254 to win off 50 overs.
Who is winning England or Sri Lanka
England have runs on the board courtesy of Nat Sciver-Brunt’s brilliant hundred her 10th in ODIs and 5th in World Cups. The surface in Colombo suits spinners and England have 4 of them in their ranks. Sri Lanka lacks batting depth. The match can go either way but England will be the happier side at the interval.
Also Read: ICC Women’s ODI WC 2025: Puissant England Take On Mighty Sri Lanka