England made a flying start to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup as Danni Wyatt-Hodge’s blistering century inspired an 87-run rout of Sri Lanka on Friday. Wyatt-Hodge, whose wife Georgie gave birth to their daughter Daisy last month, celebrated becoming a parent with a superb innings of 105 not out in just 62 balls at Edgbaston.
It was only England’s fifth women’s T20 hundred and Wyatt-Hodge has three of them.
Highest scores by England batters in women’s T20Is
| PLAYER | RUNS | BALLS | 4/6s | AGAINST | VENUE | DATE |
| Danni Wyatt-Hodge | 124 | 64 | 15/5 | India | Mumbai (BS) | March 25, 2018 |
| Tammy Beaumont | 116 | 52 | 18/4 | South Africa | Taunton | June 20, 2018 |
| Heather Knight | 108* | 66 | 13/4 | Thailand | Canberra | February 26, 2020 |
| Danni Wyatt-Hodge | 105* | 62 | 13/1 | Sri Lanka | Birmingham | June 12, 2026 |
| Danni Wyatt-Hodge | 100 | 57 | 13/2 | Australia | Canberra | November 21, 2017 |
Wyatt-Hodge had made single-figure scores in each of her last three knocks since returning from maternity leave.
But she propelled the hosts to 219-1, their highest ever score in the tournament — eclipsing their 213-5 against Pakistan in 2023.
Highest team totals in Women’s T20 World Cup
| TEAM | SCORE | OVERS | AGAINST | VENUE | DATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 219/1 | 20.0 | Sri Lanka | Birmingham | June 12, 2026 |
| England | 213/5 | 20.0 | Pakistan | Cape Town | February 21, 2023 |
| South Africa | 195/3 | 20.0 | Thailand | Canberra | February 28, 2020 |
| India | 194/5 | 20.0 | New Zealand | Providence | November 9, 2018 |
| Australia | 191/4 | 20.0 | Ireland | Sylhet | March 27, 2014 |
| Australia | 189/1 | 20.0 | Bangladesh | Canberra | February 27, 2020 |
| New Zealand | 189/3 | 20.0 | Bangladesh | Cape Town | February 17, 2023 |
| West Indies | 187/5 | 20.0 | Sri Lanka | Gros Islet | November 16, 2018 |
| Australia | 185/2 | 20.0 | Pakistan | Sylhet | March 29, 2014 |
| Australia | 184/4 | 20.0 | India | Melbourne | May 8, 2020 |
Sri Lanka’s
six bowlers leaked 23 fours and three sixes while their fielders dropped three catches.
They never looked like overhauling England and subsided to 132 all out in a one-sided tournament opener.
Freya Kemp was England’s star bowler with figures of 4-21, while Charlie Dean and Sophie Ecclestone finished with two wickets apiece.
Best bowling figures for England in Women’s T20 World Cup
| PLAYER | OVERS | RUNS | WICKETS | AGAINST | VENUE | DATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holly Colvin | 3.4 | 9 | 4 | Pakistan | Galle | September 27, 2012 |
| Danni Wyatt-Hodge | 3 | 11 | 4 | South Africa | Basseterre | May 9, 2010 |
| Freya Kemp | 4 | 21 | 4 | Sri Lanka | Birmingham | June 12, 2026 |
Wyatt-Hodge had celebrated her century with a cradle-rocking gesture in tribute to her new baby.
“It was great fun out there. What a crowd. What a start,” she said.
“It’s important to capitalise on nights like tonight. I said when I got to 50: ‘right, double it now’.
“My celebration was for my daughter Daisy. I hope TV got it!”
Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu admitted her side were well below par.
“We are not playing our best cricket or doing our best,” she said.
“We need to play positive and fearless cricket. We lost our momentum in the powerplay, and we need to improve our batting.
“Our next game is New Zealand which is a tough game and we need to execute our plans. We have to go back to the classroom and bounce back.”
Brief scores
England: 219/1 in 20 overs (Danni Wyatt-Hodge 105*, Amy Jones 53)
Sri Lanka: 132/10 in 20 overs (Nilakshika Silva 39, Harshitha Samarawickrama 29; Freya Kemp 4/22)
Result: England win by 87 runs
Player of the Match: Danni Wyatt-Hodge (England)
