A patient hundred from the captain, Nat Sciver-Brunt, saved England from embarrassment against Sri Lanka in Colombo, allowing them to recover from 168 for six to win by 89 runs.
Sciver-Brunt was dropped at three by Udeshika Prabodhani at midwicket and went on to score a run-a-ball 117, before eventually being caught at long-on on the penultimate ball of the innings. Tammy Beaumont’s 32 was the second highest contribution.
Sciver-Brunt’s rescue allowed England to regain their place at the top of the World Cup standings, meaning they have now surpassed coach Charlotte Edwards’ record for most hundreds of goals scored at 50-over World Cups – her fifth. It is also the first since her wife, Katherine Sciver-Brunt, gave birth to their son Theo in March, and featured the memorable sight of the England captain firing up an extra cover six-over deep to reach the milestone, then cradling her bat like a baby as she looked up in celebration at Katherine and Theo in the stands.
“That was for Theo,” Sciver-Brunt said. “They came to Sri Lanka to watch me, so I thought I would give something back to their support.
“It was a bit of a rollercoaster in terms of missing them, but I got a little more sleep when they were home. Katherine had to make the flight alone with Theo, which was a lot for her, so I’m glad I made it worth it for her.”
Sri Lanka started positively with the bat, reaching 95 for one after 20 overs, but an extraordinary 10-over spell from Sophie Ecclestone, which included three maidens, put a wrecking ball in their chase. Hasini Perera and Harshitha Samarawickrama were caught trying to hit out, while Kavisha Dilhari was bowled by Ecclestone attempting a slog sweep.
The key breakthrough came in the 29th over, when the captain, Chamari Athapaththu – returning after being taken off with cramp in the sixth over – was deceived by Ecclestone’s flight and bowled through the gate.
“Sri Lanka had built a partnership, I wanted that [Ecclestone] to put on weight and steady the ship, not necessarily take wickets, but she did that as a bonus,” Sciver-Brunt said. “Her clarity in what she wants to do is brilliant. She makes it look very simple.”
Sciver-Brunt continued her match-defining innings with a couple of scalps of her own, while Charlie Dean bowled a beauty to Vishmi Gunaratne and held on to an excellent diving catch at midwicket to dismiss Dewmi Vihanga as Sri Lanka collapsed to 164 all out in 45.4 overs.
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On the eve of this match, England had talked about needing to “earn runs” in the subcontinent, but – Sciver-Brunt aside – their batters failed to show the patience required in tropical Sri Lankan conditions. First, Beaumont stitched up Amy Jones by chasing a non-existent single after hitting the ball straight to Dilhari in cover, leaving Jones just short of her ground and running to the striker’s end. Then left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera took three for 33, including removing Emma Lamb and Alice Capsey in the space of five balls in the 35th over.
The 39-year-old Ranaweera, now in her 13th year of international cricket, has already proven that age is just a number at this tournament, finishing with four wickets against India – three of which came in the same period. She was equally dangerous against England’s right-handers, getting enough turns and dips to bowl Lamb behind her legs, and Capsey stumbled after slipping her back foot just out of the crease.
As so often happens, the England captain played a lonely hand, in an innings that was without extravagance until the final stages. She grounded out – 52 of her 117 came in singles – but came alive in the final four overs of the innings, hitting six boundaries and allowing England to add another 44 to their total. Had Sri Lanka held on to that early chance against her, the match might have developed very differently.
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