Danni Wyatt-Hodge hit an unbeaten 105 to guide England to an 87-run victory over Sri Lanka in the Women's T20 World Cup opener at Edgbaston on Friday evening. The triumph represented a dominant display from the hosts, who set a tournament record with their batting performance.
England accumulated 219 for the loss of just one wicket, the highest total in Women's T20 World Cup history. Sri Lanka's reply fell well short, reaching only 132 all out as they struggled against English bowling and fielding.
Wyatt-Hodge and Amy Jones, who opened the innings together, established a powerful foundation with a 135-run partnership. Jones eventually fell in the 14th over attempting to clear the infield, caught by Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu. Nat Sciver-Brunt then took over, striking an unbeaten 46 from just 22 balls with apparent ease.
The match came down to a tense finale as Sciver-Brunt dominated the final over, hitting back-to-back boundaries. This left Wyatt-Hodge stranded on 97 with few opportunities to reach three figures. Sri Lanka's fielding came to England's aid when they cut off Sciver-Brunt's boundary attempt, allowing Wyatt-Hodge back on strike. She swept the next delivery into the gap behind square for four runs to bring up her century with a single ball remaining.
Wyatt-Hodge's celebration proved particularly poignant. Having given birth to her daughter Daisy just three weeks earlier, she cradled her bat like a baby in tribute to the crowd's applause. "I've been after that third T20 hundred for a few years now, so I'm chuffed to bits to get it," she said afterward. "I've had a big life change the last few weeks, so it was pretty emotional. A few of the girls said they had a few tears."
Later in the match, Wyatt-Hodge took a crucial catch racing back from square leg to dismiss Athapaththu, though she admitted the windy conditions made the catch difficult. "I thought I was going to run into the umpire," she explained. "It was really windy and blustery. I lost the ball for a couple of seconds and then managed to see it, put my hands out and grabbed it."
Sri Lanka's innings never gained momentum after losing their captain. The side slipped to 67 for five as batters attempted aggressive strokes without success. Freya Kemp proved particularly effective with the ball, taking a career-best four for 22 through consistent line-and-length bowling.
Sri Lanka's coach Jamie Siddons acknowledged his team's poor execution. "The bowlers didn't bowl the ball in the right areas," he said. "The ball was flying around everywhere. We're a better cricket team than that. We planned well, we just didn't execute anything that we wanted to do."