164/10 (45.4)
CR : 3.59
253/9 (50.0)
CR : 5.06
England Women won by 89 runs 🏆
Player of the Match
Nat Sciver-Brunt
2/25117(117)
10:14 PM: That’s it! Sri Lanka crumble once again with the bat, getting bowled out for just 164. England cruise to a dominant 89-run victory, making it three wins in a row in the Cricket World Cup 2025!
Earlier in the day, Chamari Athapaththu won the toss and chose to field, trusting her bowling attack to keep England under 240. Tammy Beaumont got off to a positive start, while Amy Jones played cautiously before being run out for 11. Beaumont couldn’t convert her start either, falling for 32 in the final over of the powerplay. England then received a crucial 60-run partnership between Heather Knight and Nat Sciver-Brunt, with Sciver-Brunt making Sri Lanka pay for an earlier reprieve when she was dropped on 3. Knight’s reverse sweep attempt after the drinks break ended her innings at 29, leaving the responsibility firmly on Sciver-Brunt.
From there, it was almost a solo effort from the England skipper. Sciver-Brunt held the innings together as wickets fell around her, with only minor contributions from Sophia Dunkley (18), Emma Lamb (13), and Charlie Dean (19). Sciver-Brunt paced her innings perfectly, notching her 10th ODI century and fifth in World Cup matches, before falling for 117 off 117 balls. England added 28 more runs in the final two overs to finish at 253/9, leaving Sri Lanka under significant pressure.
In reply, Sri Lanka needed a strong start, but their innings suffered a huge setback in the 6th over when skipper Chamari Athapaththu was stretchered off with a calf injury. Vishmi Gunaratne also fell cheaply for 10. The only positive came from the partnership between Hasini Perera and Harshitha Samarawickrama, who added 58 runs together, helping Sri Lanka stabilize and stay in the contest for a while.
The partnership was finally broken by Sophie Ecclestone, and from that point, Sri Lanka’s innings completely unraveled. Chamari Athapaththu returned to continue her knock but couldn’t find her rhythm, and her dismissal proved the decisive blow as Ecclestone cleaned up the skipper. There were some valuable contributions from Hasini Perera (35), Harshitha Samarawickrama (33), and Nilakshi de Silva (23), but it wasn’t enough. From 98/2, Sri Lanka collapsed and were bowled out for 164. Sophie Ecclestone was the star with the ball, producing magical figures of 4/17 as England sealed an 89-run victory. Stay tuned for the Post-Match Presentation!
Earlier in the day, Chamari Athapaththu won the toss and chose to field, trusting her bowling attack to keep England under 240. Tammy Beaumont got off to a positive start, while Amy Jones played cautiously before being run out for 11. Beaumont couldn’t convert her start either, falling for 32 in the final over of the powerplay. England then received a crucial 60-run partnership between Heather Knight and Nat Sciver-Brunt, with Sciver-Brunt making Sri Lanka pay for an earlier reprieve when she was dropped on 3. Knight’s reverse sweep attempt after the drinks break ended her innings at 29, leaving the responsibility firmly on Sciver-Brunt.
From there, it was almost a solo effort from the England skipper. Sciver-Brunt held the innings together as wickets fell around her, with only minor contributions from Sophia Dunkley (18), Emma Lamb (13), and Charlie Dean (19). Sciver-Brunt paced her innings perfectly, notching her 10th ODI century and fifth in World Cup matches, before falling for 117 off 117 balls. England added 28 more runs in the final two overs to finish at 253/9, leaving Sri Lanka under significant pressure.
In reply, Sri Lanka needed a strong start, but their innings suffered a huge setback in the 6th over when skipper Chamari Athapaththu was stretchered off with a calf injury. Vishmi Gunaratne also fell cheaply for 10. The only positive came from the partnership between Hasini Perera and Harshitha Samarawickrama, who added 58 runs together, helping Sri Lanka stabilize and stay in the contest for a while.
The partnership was finally broken by Sophie Ecclestone, and from that point, Sri Lanka’s innings completely unraveled. Chamari Athapaththu returned to continue her knock but couldn’t find her rhythm, and her dismissal proved the decisive blow as Ecclestone cleaned up the skipper. There were some valuable contributions from Hasini Perera (35), Harshitha Samarawickrama (33), and Nilakshi de Silva (23), but it wasn’t enough. From 98/2, Sri Lanka collapsed and were bowled out for 164. Sophie Ecclestone was the star with the ball, producing magical figures of 4/17 as England sealed an 89-run victory. Stay tuned for the Post-Match Presentation!
Player of the Match: Nat Sciver-Brunt
Nat Sciver-Brunt (Player of the Match): "Firstly, the plan was to build a partnership with Heather (Knight). We wanted to make sure that we build something so that the batters who are coming next can accelerate towards the end of the innings. It didn't quite happen but we have spoken about it many times that having a set batter till the end of the innings is so important. The wicket was a little bit inconsistent but I was happy that I managed to do that for my team.
Their spinners bowled very well. It was turning quite a bit. I just wanted to be precise on that shots I was playing and executing them. Scoring down the ground was my best bet.
I had a thought about that before (on dedicating her hundred for her child) but scoring a century is very special. It was my first hundred as captain so I am very happy."
Their spinners bowled very well. It was turning quite a bit. I just wanted to be precise on that shots I was playing and executing them. Scoring down the ground was my best bet.
I had a thought about that before (on dedicating her hundred for her child) but scoring a century is very special. It was my first hundred as captain so I am very happy."
STAT ATTACK: This marks England Women’s 11th consecutive ODI win over Sri Lanka. Out of 19 completed encounters between the two sides, England’s only defeat came during the 2013 World Cup.
Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka Women Captain): "Actually, we bowled really well in the entire 50 overs but in the last 3 overs, we struggled a little bit where they scored 30-40 overs. Overall it was a good bowling performance but we dropped the catch of Nat Sciver-Brunt which turned out to be costly. She went on to score a hundred. That's why catches win matches.
I feel we improved a little bit. We want to stick to our plans but we need to execute it well at the right time.
(On changing the batting order) I feel my place is opening the innings. We changed our batting order today as well. We will look into it and talk about it in the meeting room as we need to bounce back in the next game.
It was a 8-day off for us but that's not an excuse for us. As professional cricketers we need to deliver for the team. That's the most important thing.
I am feeling okay. I struggled in the first over. I feel okay. I have a couple of days to rest. I hope that I can bounce back in the next game."
I feel we improved a little bit. We want to stick to our plans but we need to execute it well at the right time.
(On changing the batting order) I feel my place is opening the innings. We changed our batting order today as well. We will look into it and talk about it in the meeting room as we need to bounce back in the next game.
It was a 8-day off for us but that's not an excuse for us. As professional cricketers we need to deliver for the team. That's the most important thing.
I am feeling okay. I struggled in the first over. I feel okay. I have a couple of days to rest. I hope that I can bounce back in the next game."
Nat Sciver-Brunt (England Women Captain): "We started off really well. Amy & Tammy showed some really good intent at the top. At the start it looked fairly easy to score runs. Once the powerplay finished, there was a little bit of inconsistency in the wicket. We adapted to it pretty well. I guess me batting at Number 3 worked out well for my side. It allows the other players to come out and play in different ways. The ball was coming nicely onto the bat once I was set in the middle.
I guess picking length is very important. Playing off the front foot is crucial in these conditions. I guess we need to try and do that as much as possible. We should not let the spinners settle in the middle. We need to play those lap shots in order to maneuver the field a little bit more. We also need to respect the good deliveries but try to put pressure on the opposition in different ways.
(On Sophie Ecclestone) She is brilliant. To be able to hand over the ball to her is always a captain’s dream. She didn’t concede many runs but managed to pick up four wickets. It pretty special. From the time she was 16 and came into our team, we knew that we have got a special player in our team. She has grown a lot in the last couple of months. Really pleased for her.
We have played good cricket in patches. We probably would’ve liked to have some bigger partnerships in order to make us feel a bit more comfortable. We will look to do better in the upcoming games."
I guess picking length is very important. Playing off the front foot is crucial in these conditions. I guess we need to try and do that as much as possible. We should not let the spinners settle in the middle. We need to play those lap shots in order to maneuver the field a little bit more. We also need to respect the good deliveries but try to put pressure on the opposition in different ways.
(On Sophie Ecclestone) She is brilliant. To be able to hand over the ball to her is always a captain’s dream. She didn’t concede many runs but managed to pick up four wickets. It pretty special. From the time she was 16 and came into our team, we knew that we have got a special player in our team. She has grown a lot in the last couple of months. Really pleased for her.
We have played good cricket in patches. We probably would’ve liked to have some bigger partnerships in order to make us feel a bit more comfortable. We will look to do better in the upcoming games."
That’s all we have for you from Colombo! A disappointing day for Sri Lanka as they suffer their second defeat of the tournament, falling short against England by 89 runs. England put on another commanding performance, making it three wins out of three and climbing to the top of the points table. Tomorrow promises a Super Sunday blockbuster as India take on Australia in Vizag.
For now, this is Pritam Dey signing off along with scorer/analyst Bishal Mandal and statistician Aman as we brought all the updates of this clash. Stay tuned for more cricketing action from around the world. BYE BYE👋
For now, this is Pritam Dey signing off along with scorer/analyst Bishal Mandal and statistician Aman as we brought all the updates of this clash. Stay tuned for more cricketing action from around the world. BYE BYE👋