Wyatt-Hodge rocks in Birmingham

Figure caption,

Wyatt-Hodge hits the first six of the World Cup

Wyatt-Hodge was supposed to be short of form coming into this tournament.

Since making 29 on her return from parental leave on 30 May, she had returned single-figure scores in her other three innings.

This, though, was the 35-year-old at her supreme best.

The only chance she offered was a run-out opportunity in the sixth over. Sri Lanka missed their mark, as they did far too often in the first innings, and from there England’s opener took full advantage.

She scored all around Edgbaston but the highlights were her crashes through the off side. By the end, the only thing putting a third T20 century in doubt was Sciver-Brunt’s flogging of the bowling at the other end.

Whether by chance or design, Sciver-Brunt handed over the strike with two balls remaining and Wyatt-Hodge pulled behind square to reach her landmark.

As the right-hander beamed in celebration, she was lifted from her feet by Sciver-Brunt – another in this side who can relate to Wyatt-Hodge’s past month as a fellow mum and cricketer.

England’s perfect start

Figure caption,

‘Oh it’s another!’ England’s Kemp takes three wickets in four balls

Any assessment of England’s start comes with the caveat of the strength of their opposition.

Having revamped their side over recent years, Sri Lanka looked well short of the team who beat England in a T20 series here three years ago.

Still, Sciver-Brunt and coach Charlotte Edwards could have wished for little more as they look to end a run of six winless World Cups across formats.

Jones has been pushed up to open after Sophia Dunkley’s loss of form and delivered at the first opportunity, albeit with the benefit of the two drops – first by Imesha Dulani at fine leg and then a caught and bowled miss by Sugandika Kumari.

Much can also be taken by the knock from Sciver-Brunt, who in her first official match since six weeks out with a calf injury, arguably struck the ball better than Wyatt-Hodge. A scoop and a drive over long-on were two stand-out shots.

Lauren Bell pinned Vishmi Gunaratne lbw in the third over and when Athapaththu’s top-edged sweep was caught by Wyatt-Hodge running back from square leg the game was effectively done.

Wyatt-Hodge did drop two other tough chances later on but left-armer Kemp, only recently returning to bowling after a series of back issues, took three in four balls to improve a day even further.

This was an ideal start for England and organisers alike – a crowd of 14,865 departing thoroughly entertained.

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