Colombo: Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt’s record-setting fifth Women’s World Cup century and spinner Sophie Ecclestone’s exceptional bowling led England to an 89-run victory over Sri Lanka, marking their third consecutive win and placing them at the top of the standings on Saturday. Sciver-Brunt shone with a remarkable 117 off 117 balls (9 fours, 2 sixes), helping England reach 253/9 before the world’s No. 1 bowler Ecclestone changed the dynamics of the match with figures of 4/17, resulting in Sri Lanka being bowled out for 164 in 45.4 overs. With three wins from three matches, England leads the eight-team standings with six points, surpassing defending champions Australia, who have five points.
After being dropped on three by Udeshika Prabodhani, the English captain capitalized on the opportunity to achieve her 10th ODI century and a record fifth in Women’s World Cups, before being dismissed on the penultimate ball. Sri Lanka’s chase faced a setback when captain Chamari Athapaththu retired hurt after suffering cramps in the sixth over with only seven runs. Opener Hasini Perera (35) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (33) initially steadied the innings with a 58-run partnership, appearing threatening at 95/1 before Ecclestone triggered a collapse, leading to the home team losing three wickets for just eight runs in four overs.
Brief Scores: England: 253/9 in 50 overs (Nat Sciver-Brunt 117; Inoka Ranaweera 3/33) beat Sri Lanka: 164 all out in 45.4 overs (Hasini Perera 35, Harshitha Samarawickrama 33; Sophie Ecclestone 4/17) by 89 runs.
