COLOMBO: England underlined their authority at the Women’s World Cup on Saturday with an impressive 89-run win over Sri Lanka in Colombo, powered by a classy hundred from Nat Sciver-Brunt and a masterful turn from Sophie Ecclestone.
England came into bat and faltered early, but Sciver-Brunt absorbed the pressure well and anchored the innings with a chanceless century to steer her side to a strong 253-9.
Sri Lanka were never in the hunt in reply, folding tamely for 164 as Ecclestone spun a web around their batters.
Trailing by three, England captain Sciver-Brunt made the hosts pay a heavy price.
After a cautious start, she switched gears during the death overs, unleashing a flurry of blows.
Her run-a-ball 117, peppered with nine fours and two sixes, was an impressive innings. The shot that brought up her 10th ODI hundred, a majestic loft over extra cover off Sugandika Kumari, was her best of the day.
“Just trying to build a partnership in the hope of accelerating later. It’s important to have a set batsman at the end of the innings. Very happy with the hundred, the first as captain too,” Sciver-Brunt said.
Her innings ended with the penultimate ball, when she miscued Udeshika Prabodhani to go on for long on, but the damage was done long ago.
Sri Lanka’s chase flickered briefly with a 58-run stand between Harshitha Samarawickrama and Hasini Perera, but from 95-1 they crumbled like a pack of cards.
Captain Chamari Athapaththu’s injury only added salt to the wound. Stretched with spasms, she returned bravely, but could only muster fifteen before Ecclestone broke through her defenses.
Ecclestone, the world’s top-ranked ODI bowler, was in her element on the turning surface, teasingly sending the ball flying, leaving the cover area empty and luring batters into fatal drives.
She conceded just 17 runs in her 10 overs, three of which were maidens and accounted for four wickets in the bargain.
England, the four-time world champions, have now won all three matches in the eight-nation event and are firmly at the top of the table.
They will remain in Colombo to play Pakistan next week before heading to India for the final leg of the league phase.
Sri Lanka have made a quick turnaround as they play New Zealand in Colombo on Tuesday.
“On the whole, we bowled well, I thought. We dropped their captain early and she scored a hundred. That was the difference. Catches win matches. We have to improve a lot with our catches,” Athapaththu said.
