Nat Sciver-Brunt starred with both bat and ball as England defeated Sri Lanka by 89 runs in Colombo. Her record-breaking fifth World Cup century helped England post 253/9. Later, she took two important wickets as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 164.
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Sri Lanka started their chase slowly, scoring only five runs in the first three overs. Captain Chamari Athapaththu had to leave the field early due to cramps. Despite this, Hasini Perera and Harshitha Samarawickrama showed fight. Vishmi Gunaratne looked solid before being bowled by Charlie Dean. By the 20th over, Sri Lanka were 95/1 and still in the game.
England needed to strike quickly. Sophie Ecclestone rose to the occasion. She bowled consecutive wicket maidens, dismissing the set batters. Athapaththu returned, but Ecclestone continued to trouble the Lankans. She took the big wicket of the captain and ended with remarkable figures of 6-3-5-4. Sciver-Brunt added two more wickets as Sri Lanka’s innings collapsed in the 46th over.
Earlier, England chose to bat despite the rain threat. Amy Jones started with a boundary but was run out soon after. Tammy Beaumont looked in good form, hitting several boundaries. Heather Knight struggled early, slowing the scoring. Beaumont was dismissed for 32 off 29 balls, leaving England in a rebuilding phase.
Sciver-Brunt joined Knight at the crease and changed the momentum. She hit boundaries and sixes, bringing up her first fifty of the tournament. Even when Sri Lanka took quick wickets of Sophia Dunkley, Emma Lamb, and Alice Capsey, England recovered. Dean and Sciver-Brunt built a vital partnership, pushing England past 200 runs.
In the final overs, Sciver-Brunt dominated the bowling attack. She reached her century with a six and continued to score freely. She was finally dismissed on the penultimate delivery. Her all-round performance was the highlight of the match.
Brief scores:
- England 253/9 in 50 overs (Nat Sciver-Brunt 117, Tammy Beaumont 32; Inoka Ranaweera 3/33)
- Sri Lanka 164 in 45.4 overs (Hasini Perera 35; Sophie Ecclestone 4/17, Nat Sciver-Brunt 2/25)