Nat Sciver-Brunt praised England’s ruthless display after Danni Wyatt-Hodge’s unbeaten century powered the hosts to a record 219/1 and an 87-run victory over Sri Lanka in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 opener.
Women's T20 WC: England crush Sri Lanka by 87 runs in record-breaking start (Credit: ICC)
England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt hailed her side’s composure and ruthlessness after the hosts stormed to an 87-run victory over Sri Lanka in the opening match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 at Edgbaston on Friday.
Powered by an unbeaten 105 from Danni Wyatt-Hodge, England piled up 219/1, the highest total in Women’s T20 World Cup history, before dismissing Sri Lanka for 132 to begin their title defence in dominant fashion.
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“It’s a massive win for us,” Sciver-Brunt said after the match. “We’re really happy the first game is done.”
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Asked to bat first, England accelerated after a steady start as openers Amy Jones and Danni Wyatt-Hodge stitched together a commanding 136-run partnership.
Jones overcame two early reprieves to score a fluent 53 off 38 balls, while Wyatt-Hodge produced one of the finest innings of the tournament, remaining unbeaten on 105 from 62 deliveries, including 13 fours and a six.
The century was particularly special for Wyatt-Hodge, whose wife Georgie gave birth to their daughter Daisy just weeks ago.
“That was for Daisy, that little cradle. I hope TV caught it,” she said about her celebration after reaching three figures.
Captain Sciver-Brunt then provided the finishing touches with a blistering 46 off 22 balls, helping England smash 26 runs in the final over to finish on a record-breaking 219/1.
Sciver-Brunt credited the opening partnership for laying the foundation for England’s massive total.
“What a way to start the first innings. Danni and Amy looked so composed, building a huge platform for us to explode at the end,” she said.
The England skipper, returning from injury, was also pleased with her own contribution.
“I was really happy to find the middle. I had a couple of innings in the warm-up games, but nothing compares to being out there.”
When asked whether England had been ruthless, she agreed.
“Yes, absolutely. We were composed and thought about the game in a really good way. In the second innings, starting with three wickets in the powerplay makes it tough to chase down that score.”
Sri Lanka’s chase never gained momentum after captain Chamari Athapaththu was dismissed for just four during a disastrous powerplay that left the visitors at 39/3.
Harshitha Samarawickrama scored 29 before being dismissed by Freya Kemp, who starred on her Women’s T20 World Cup debut with outstanding figures of 4/22. Charlie Dean and Sophie Ecclestone chipped in with two wickets each.
Nilakshika Silva top-scored with 39, but England comfortably bowled Sri Lanka out for 132, sealing an emphatic victory.
Reflecting on the performance, Wyatt-Hodge said the team had executed its plans perfectly.
“What a start. It’s always great to get off to a good start in a World Cup.”
She also praised her batting partners.
“I really enjoyed playing out there with Amy. Nat just does what she does best at the end, hitting it all over.”
“We said how important it was to start well, and we did that tonight. It’s always a nice pitch here at Edgbaston, and our bowlers did incredibly well to keep them to that total on a really good pitch.”
England will now travel to Southampton to face Ireland, while Sri Lanka will look to recover against defending champions New Zealand after captain Chamari Athapaththu admitted her side was outplayed in all departments.
“We didn’t play our best cricket today. In all three departments, we were not at our best. That’s why we lost,” Athapaththu said, adding that her team would “go back to the drawing board” ahead of their next fixture.
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