Colombo, Oct 11 (IANS) England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt’s magnificent century and two-wicket haul, aided by Sophie Ecclestone’s 4-17, guided the former champions to a commanding 89-run win over Sri Lanka in the Women’s World Cup clash at R. Premadasa Stadium here on Saturday.

This was England’s third win on the trot in the tournament, which kept their unbeaten record intact and consolidated their spot at the top of the standings.

Chasing 254, openers Hasini Perera and captain Chamari Athapaththu started things slowly for the side before an unfortunate incident (she pulled her hamstring while stretching after taking a run and had to be stretchered out) forced the former to retire hurt on 7 in the sixth over before coming out to bat again later.

However, Vishmi Gunaratne replaced the Sri Lankan skipper in the middle before Charlie Dean removed her for 10, giving England their first breakthrough in the final over of the powerplay.

Despite losing a wicket, Sri Lanka were 37/1 after 10 overs, giving a tough fight to England’s target. However, things turned drastically as Sri Lanka lost the plot in the middle overs and were reduced to 116/5 after 28 overs, with only Hasini Perera and Harshitha Samarawickrama making noticeable contributions of 35 and 33, respectively, as Ecclestone wreaked havoc on the Lankan batting order.

Sri Lanka were never able to recover from the collapse and were bowled out for 164 in 45.4 overs as Nilakshika Silva’s 23 was the third-highest total from the losing side.

For England, Ecclestone returned with the figures of 4-17 in her 10 overs while Sciver-Brunt and Charlie Dean bagged two wickets apiece.

Earlier, a record-breaking century from Nat Sciver-Brunt powered England to a total of 253. Sciver-Brunt’s brilliant knock not only anchored England’s innings but also saw her become the player with the most centuries in Women’s ODI World Cups, surpassing legends Janette Brittin, Charlotte Edwards, and Suzie Bates with her fifth hundred in the tournament’s history.

England’s innings, however, was far from smooth. Openers Amy Jones and Tammy Beaumont were dismissed inside the first 10 overs, leaving the side struggling early despite reaching 50 runs in the powerplay. Former and current skippers Heather Knight and Sciver-Brunt then stabilised the innings with a 60-run partnership, steering England out of trouble.

The hosts, however, continued to keep the pressure on by taking wickets at regular intervals. England’s middle order, which had shown vulnerability against Bangladesh in their previous outing, once again faltered. Inoka Ranaweera led the Sri Lankan attack superbly, claiming 3 for 33 in her 10 overs, dismissing Knight, Emma Lamb, and Alice Capsey, and maintaining a brilliant economy of 3.30.

Ranaweera received strong support from Sugandika Kumari, Kavisha Dilhari, and Udeshika Prabodhani, who chipped in with key wickets. Earlier at the toss, Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu had stated that restricting England to 200–240 would be a success – a target her bowlers nearly achieved.

Despite the collapse around her, Sciver-Brunt held firm at one end, keeping the scoreboard moving and ensuring England finished on a competitive note. She was finally dismissed off the penultimate delivery of the innings, attempting a six off Prabodhani’s yorker.

Her century – the 10th of her ODI career – ensured England ended their innings on a high, setting Sri Lanka a challenging chase while etching her name in the record books.

Brief scores:

England 253/9 in 50 overs (Nat Sciver-Brunt 117, Tammy Beaumont 32; Inoka Ranaweera 3-33, Udeshika Prabodhani 2-55) beat Sri Lanka 164 all out in 45.4 overs (Hasini Perera 35, Harshitha Samarawickrama 33; Sophie Ecclestone 4-17, Nat Sciver-Brunt 2-25) by 89 runs.

–IANS

ab/bsk/