‘There’s no fight we cannot win’ England record highest T20 World Cup total to thrash Sri Lanka in opener

‘There’s no fight we cannot win’ England record highest T20 World Cup total to thrash Sri Lanka in opener

Danni Wyatt-Hodge struck an unbeaten 105 as England cruised past Sri Lanka by 87 run to open their home T20 World Cup in spectacular fashion. Setting a record breaking total of 219, England comfortably defended their mammoth score with Freya Kemp taking 4/21.

“Together, we're unlimited. Together, we'll be the greatest team there's ever been.Dreams the way we planned 'em. If we work in tandem, there's no fight we cannot win.”

It isn’t a bad team talk to listen to before walking out as hosts of a T20 World Cup, the weight of expectation on your shoulders.

Last time a car drove out at a tournament opening ceremony in Birmingham, it was the now King Charles and Queen Camilla at the 2022 Commonwealth Games emerging. On this occasion, to open the T20 Women’s World Cup it was an equally iconic duo, Elphaba and Glinda, appearing to perform a Wicked! medley which was indeed wicked (in the good way). As far as opening ceremonies go, it had all the expected elements, pyrotechnics and the like and that lovey eggy smoke that hangs in the air after.

Teething problems with the technology and the sightscreen not being in the right place delayed the start of play, an awkward murmur rippling round the ground awaiting the highly anticipated first delivery.

The technology woes continued with the ICC scoreboard showing 5.7 overs at one stage, the consistently incorrect score and then as the cherry on top, three different scores at the end of the innings with a disparity of five runs.

Away from the minor hiccups, the picture was idyllic with the golden evening light illuminating a bustling Hollies stand while England’s openers dispatched Sri Lanka’s bowlers relentlessly. This is the ambitious image that was likely in the minds of England as soon as they found out their curtain raising fixture.

Two players who had various question marks around them in the tournament build up were quick to quell them. Danni Wyatt-Hodge made her mark on the tournament racing to 105* from 62 deliveries, even if at times the opener looked like she could get stuck in the 90s with a comfortable looking Nat Sciver-Brunt hitting boundary after boundary to keep the strike.

Nat Sciver-Brunt has spent the majority of the season sidelined and her race to be fit for the World Cup wasn’t entirely smooth. There were also worries about what version of Sciver-Brunt would turn up with her lack of cricket over the last eight months. For Wyatt-Hodge, she has also been absent for the New Zealand series, away on parental leave after the birth of her daughter and had not had the best run of scores in T20s for England.  Fittingly, Wyatt-Hodge cradled her bat in celebration as she reached her third IT20 century and rocketed England to 219/1.

Perhaps England’s most unlikely hero was Freya Kemp. Kemp has also had her injury frustrations and her bowling on return has looked weak. A four-wicket haul and being the pick of the bowlers was likely not on anyone’s bingo card.

But were England great or were Sri Lanka just bad? Both things can be true and is probably the case here. England undeniably dominated and cruised through the game however, Sri Lanka looked incredibly sub-par and brittle. Their fielding made England’s past fielding woes look somewhat mild.

There’s no place like home and the 14,865 who piled into Edgbaston to see England thrash Sri Lanka by 87-runs set the tone for the home tournament England will be desperate to fly in.

Popular!

You’re going to be popular, (England)

You’ll hang with the right cohorts,

You’ll be good at sports,

Know the slang you’ve got to know.

So let's start

‘Cause you've got an awfully long way to go! (circa February 2025)