Birmingham, June 13 (IANS) Danni Wyatt-Hodge slammed a 61-ball unbeaten hundred and led a sensational top order performance as England posted 219/1 in 20 overs, the highest team total in the history of the Women’s T20 World Cup, against Sri Lanka in the opening match of the tournament at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Friday.

The 219/1 posted by England is the highest innings score ever in the Women’s T20 World Cup, bettering the previous best of 213/5 by England against Pakistan in 2023.

After Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu won the toss and elected to field first, Amy Jones (53) and Danni Wyatt-Hodge (105 not out) laid the foundation for the massive total with a 135-run opening partnership.

The hosts made a watchful start, but exploded into action to raise 51/0 in the Power-play. The two batters kept pressing on the advantage, and boundaries flowed easily. England also made sure they got the quick ones and twos to maintain the pressure.

Wyatt-Hodge, whose partner Georgie gave birth to their first child on May 20, scored the opening hundred of the 2026 World Cup, the seventh in the tournament’s history and only the second by an Englishwoman. It was the first century for Danni Wyatt-Hodge at the Women’s T20WorldCup.

Making the most of the width afforded to her, Wyatt-Hodge struck 13 boundaries and one six in her brilliant knock. She reached the milestone with a sweep for four and ended a historic innings for England with another boundary on the final ball.

England scored 26 runs from the final over, another record for the event as Danni carried her bat through, ending at 105 off 62 balls.

Jones was a tad lucky as she was dropped on 12 and then again on 48. She brought up her seventh half-century in T20Is, scoring 53 off 38. Wyatt-Hodge also figured in an unfinished 84-run partnership for the second wicket with skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt, who struck 46 not out off 22 balls, studded with six boundaries and one six.

Sri Lanka struggled to hit the spots with the ball and were sloppy in the field as well. They finally got a breakthrough in the 14th over as Jones mistimed a delivery by Malki Madara and ended up spooning a catch to Athapaththu at mid off.

England came into the contest on the back of a five-run win over India in their final warm-up game, while Sri Lanka won both the tune-up games, against the Netherlands and Pakistan.

–IANS

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