ICC Women’s World Cup
Colombo, Oct 11: England’s Women’s World Cup campaign gathered further momentum as they overpowered Sri Lanka by 89 runs in a dominant display at Colombo on Saturday.
The win, driven by captain Nat Sciver-Brunt’s brilliant century and Sophie Ecclestone’s incisive bowling, saw England move to the top of the tournament standings with three wins from as many games.
Batting first, England posted a formidable 253 for nine in their allotted 50 overs, thanks largely to Sciver-Brunt’s commanding knock of 117 off 117 balls.
The century marked her record fifth in ICC Women’s World Cup history, underscoring her consistency and class on the global stage.
Sciver-Brunt has now scored two hundreds in each of the last two editions of the tournament, further cementing her reputation as one of England’s premier batters.
Sri Lanka struggled in reply and were bowled out for 164 in 45.4 overs, never able to match England’s intensity.
Left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone emerged as the chief destroyer, returning figures of 4 for 17 from her 10 overs, while constantly keeping the batters under pressure with sharp turn and tight lines.
Hasini Perera and Harshitha Samarawickrama offered some resistance, scoring 35 and 33 respectively, but their efforts proved insufficient against the disciplined English attack.For Sri Lanka, veteran left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera was the most successful bowler, taking 3 for 33 in her 10 overs. Despite her efforts, the hosts could not prevent England from consolidating their position at the top of the points table. (PTI)
BRIEF SCORE
England: 253/9 in 50 overs (Nat Sciver-Brunt 117; Inoka Ranaweera 3/33).
Sri Lanka: 164 all out in 45.4 overs (Sophie Ecclestone 4/17).
