The much-anticipated 10th edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, hosted by England and Wales, is finally underway with home side skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt taking on Sri Lanka, led by skipper Chamari Athapaththu, in the tournament opener on 12th June 2026, at Edgbaston, Birmingham.
On a rare occasion, confident Sri Lankans announced their starting 11 a few hours before the game, a lineup that featured newcomers Malki Madara, Mithali Ayodhya, and wicket-keeper batter Kaushani Nuthyangana. England backed both the promising pace-bowling all-rounders, Freya Kemp and Danielle Gibson, to feature in their starting 11, a crucial tactical call with skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt available as a pure batter for the initial stages of the tournament, for phasing her proper return from injury.
The Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu, playing in her 10th ICC Women’s T20 World Cup campaign, won the toss and opted to bowl first at Birmingham. The England openers Danielle Wyatt-Hodge and the wicket-keeper batter Amy Jones delivered a batting masterclass, blending controlled aggression and gap finding with precision, showcasing the fearless brand of cricket in the Charlotte Edwards–Nat Sciver-Brunt era.
The duo stitched a record-highest opening stand for England in the history of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, worth 135 runs, to set the tone in a crucial home T20 World Cup campaign. Malki Madara provided the much-needed first breakthrough for Sri Lanka by dismissing the wicket-keeper batter Amy Jones (53 off 38 balls) in the 14th over of the innings. She completed a promising half-century before getting dismissed.
Skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt 46* (22 balls) stepped in at number 3 and provided a blockbuster finish, alongside Danielle Wyatt-Hodge (105* off 62 balls; 13 × 4s, 1 × 6), pushing the total well beyond 200, ending the innings with the highest total (219/1) in T20 World Cup history. Malki Madara (4-0-51-1) was the only wicket-taker with the ball for Sri Lanka.
The Lauren Bell cheat code worked yet again for England, landing the first blow by dismissing Vishmi Gunaratne in the 3rd over of the run chase. The Sri Lankans were reduced to 39/3 after the power play, losing their top order, in their hunt for a record total of 220.
The intent was there from the batters, but they struggled to apply the counterpunch for a longer period of time. As a result, Sri Lanka kept losing wickets at regular intervals, to eventually get bundled out for 132 on the final ball of the run chase. England registered their 3rd largest victory by 87 runs in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
Nilakshika Silva (37 off 33 balls), Harshitha Samarawickrama (29 off 18 balls), Kavisha Dilhari (19 off 15 balls), and Hansima Karunaratne (11 off 8 balls) chipped in with promising contributions with the bat for Sri Lanka. Freya Kemp (4-0-22-4) returned with her career-best T20I figures with the ball and was the stand-out performer, tilting the game in England’s favour. Charlie Dean (3-0-18-2), Sophie Ecclestone (4-0-27-2), Linsey Smith (4-0-24-1), and Lauren Bell (3-0-15-1) were impressive in their support act.
Danielle Wyatt-Hodge was awarded the Player of the Match for her maiden T20 World Cup century, 105* off 62 balls, setting the stage for a statement win to kickstart their campaign on a high for the Nat Sciver-Brunt-led England.
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