England women’s cricket team started off their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a bang as they handed Sri Lanka Women an 87-run thrashing in the tournament opener. Danni Wyatt-Hodge’s unbeaten 105-run knock propelled the hosts of the tournament to a mammoth 219/1 total at the end 20 overs, the highest total made in any edition of the Women’s T20 WC. But that wasn’t the only record that was scripted on Friday.
Danni Wyatt-Hodge runs riot
Danni and Amy Jones provided a flying start for the England Women, stitching together an opening partnership of 135 runs off 82 deliveries, with the former leading the charge. It took 13.4 overs for SLW to get the first and only wicket in the innings as Jones was dismissed for 53 off 38. But Wyatt-Hodge was undeterred by the loss of her opening partner as she went on to score 105 runs off 68 deliveries, a knock that was studded with 13 fours and one six.
Nat Sciver-Brunt played a handy cameo as well, scoring a whirlwind 46-run knock off just 22 deliveries, which included six fours and one six. A second-wicket partnership of 84 runs from 38 deliveries allowed ENGW to reach 219/1 at the end of 20 overs. Wyatt was named the Player of the Match.
| Runs/Wkts | Team Batting | Opposition | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 219/1 | England | Sri Lanka | Birmingham | Today |
| 213/5 | England | Pakistan | Cape Town | 2023 |
| 195/3 | South Africa | Thailand | Canberra | 2020 |
In response, SLW got off to an awful start, losing three wickets in the powerplay. Apart from Nilakshika Silva (39), no other batter managed to get going as Freya Kemp wreaked havoc on her T20 World Cup debut with a four-wicket haul to wrap up SLW’s run-chase for just 132 runs. The defeat marked the end of Sri Lanka’s fourth longest winning streak in WT20Is as they had won five consecutive games between March-May 2026.
The game saw 354 runs being scored by both teams across the two innings, the second highest match aggregate in a Women’s T20 World Cup game.
| Total | Match | Venue | Year/Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 354 | India Women vs New Zealand Women | Providence | 2018 |
| 351 | England Women vs Sri Lanka Women | Edgbaston | 2026 |
| 339 | Australia Women vs India Women | Cape Town | 2023 SF |
| 333 | West Indies Women vs South Africa Women | Basseterre | 2010 |
| 328 | England Women vs Australia Women | The Oval | 2009 SF |
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