ENG W VS SL W MATCH 12

And that's a wrap! The action continues in ICC Women's World Cup 2025 as we have a big game lined up for you. It's India taking on Australia in the coastal city of Vizag. Super Sunday is set for all of us. Join us on the 12th of October at 3 pm IST (9.30 am GMT) for the coverage. Be sure to join us for all the early build-up and toss action. Until then, goodbye from all of us, and cheers!

The captain of Sri Lanka Women, Chamari Athapaththu, reflects on the defeat. She says they bowled well throughout the innings but in the last 3 overs, they struggled a little bit, where England scored 30-40 runs and feels they dropped the catch of Nat Sciver-Brunt, which made the difference. Tells that they need to improve before the next game in all three departments. Admits she loves to open the innings, they tweaked the batting order today. She mentions her legs are okay, she has a couple of days of rest and hopes to bounce back in the next game.

The victorious skipper of England Women, Nat Sciver-Brunt, is also adjudged as the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for her all-round contribution. She made a valiant run-a-ball 117, followed by picking up two crucial wickets with the ball. Begins by saying that the plan was to build a partnership with Heather Knight. Mentions that they wanted to make sure that they post something so that the incoming batters can accelerate towards the backend. But admits that it didn't quite happen, but shares that they have spoken about it many times, that having a set batter till the end is very crucial. Shares that the wicket was a bit inconsistent but feels happy that she managed to contribute for her team. Appreciates the spinners for bowling well and says it was turning quite a lot and details that playing down the ground was her best bet. Feels happy to score her first hundred as the English skipper. Further says that they started off pretty well as Tammy Beaumont and Jones showed some good intent inside the Powerplay. Says at the start it looked fairly easy to score, but there was a variable spin and bounce throughout, so had to adjust according to that. Stresses that picking up the length is very important and explains that if your strength is playing off the front foot, then recognising that and doing it as much as you can is crucial. Talking about Ecclestone, she appreciates her bowling performance by saying that she is brilliant. Says to be able to bowl ten overs on the trot and not going for many runs and picking up four wickets is just amazing. Shares that from the time she (Ecclestone) was 16 and came into the team, they knew they had got something special in their hands. Also tells that they challenged her to improve herself and make a mark in this team, and for herself as well. Admits that they have been very well in patches, but expects her side to be a bit more clinical to play a complete game of cricket. Ends by stressing that having bigger partnerships moving forward in the tournament will make them feel a bit more comfortable.

...Presentation...

Earlier in the game, Nat Sciver-Brunt led England Women's fightback with a warrior-like performance, single-handedly rescuing her team from early setbacks. England posted a strong total, with Sciver-Brunt's 60-run partnership with Heather Knight being crucial. Despite a tricky pitch, Sciver-Brunt's smart batting helped England recover from 125/3 to post a big score. Sri Lanka Women bowlers were clinical but gave away 20-30 runs extra. However, the biggest moment in the game was when they dropped Nat Sciver-Brunt when she was on 3, the rest, as they say, is history as she made the Sri Lankans pay dearly with a brilliant knock of 117.

There is no doubt that Sri Lanka Women rely heavily on Chamari Athapaththu but today it was good to see the top order step up with their skipper absent for a while. It gave a lot of hope and also kept them in the game. However, to do it for the full allotted quota was a big ask and against quality spinners like Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith and Charlie Dean, it was going to be difficult.

Cometh the hour, cometh the player! England were all over the place, bowling looseners and showcasing an under-par fielding effort, but once the number one-ranked bowler in the world stepped into the attack, the tide turned in England's favour. Sophie Ecclestone picked not two or three but four wickets to break Sri Lanka Women's back. The middle order collapsed once she was introduced and it included the big wicket of Chamari Athapaththu. Once the Lankan skipper fell, it was all over for them.

The chase was filled wth melodrama. All eyes were on Chamari Athapaththu to lead Sri Lanka Women in the chase, but the home team's skipper pulled her hamstring (that's what it first looked like, and she was taken off on a stretcher) to shatter hopes of a win against the four-time champions. England probably took things lightly once Chamari Athapaththu was retired hurt. That allowed the hosts to get into the game. Harshitha Samarawickrama and Hasini Perera put on a solid 58-run partnership to get the chase back on track.

A comfortable win for England Women, and they make it three out of as many games in the ICC Womens World Cup 2025 and go on top of the points table. England Women had to work hard for the two points today. Sri Lanka Women fought hard, but anything above 220 was going to be difficult for them to chase it down.

OUT! CAUGHT! England have outplayed Sri Lanka completely! Linsey Smith serves a loopy delivery on a fuller length, around the off pole. Udeshika Prabodhani strides forward and drives it flat toward Nat Sciver-Brunt at short cover. The English skipper bends low and grabs a simple regulation catch to wrap things up in Colombo. A professional performance across all departments from the English Women. They maintain an unbeaten run in this World Cup and climb to the top of the table with three wins in three games. ENGLAND WIN BY 89 RUNS!

OUT! CAUGHT! England have outplayed Sri Lanka completely! Linsey Smith serves a loopy delivery on a fuller length, around the off pole. Udeshika Prabodhani strides forward and drives it flat toward Nat Sciver-Brunt at short cover. The English skipper bends low and grabs a simple regulation catch to wrap things up in Colombo. A professional performance across all departments from the English Women. They maintain an unbeaten run in this World Cup and climb to the top of the table with three wins in three games. ENGLAND WIN BY 89 RUNS!

JAFFA! Bites away from off on a fuller length. Udeshika Prabodhani gets on the front foot to push it to cover, but misses.

Full and spinning on the pads. Inoka Ranaweera clips it to deep square leg for a single.

Fuller delivery, on middle. Inoka Ranaweera leans forward and eases it straight to the bowler.

On middle, on a length. Udeshika Prabodhani hangs back and knocks it on the pitch.

Full on middle. Pushed back to the bowler.

Stump-to-stump, full in length with a good drift. Udeshika Prabodhani blocks off the inner half of the bat. Amy Jones collects the ball is it rolls beside the pitch on the leg side.