Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Lauren Bell, Linsey Smith

England hammered Sri Lanka in the opening match of the 2026 Women's T20 World Cup at Edgbaston, with Danni Wyatt-Hodge hitting her third T20I century. Here's what the group points tables look like after the result.

England's top-order put on a show for their home fans in Birmingham, hammering their second-highest T20 score of all time. Amy Jones, newly promoted up the order to open at the expense of Sophia Dunkley, who dropped out of the XI to make room for captain Nat Sciver-Brunt to return, put on 135 for the first wicket. Wyatt-Hodge reached her half-century off just 32 balls, with Jones brining hers up off her 34th ball at the crease.

Having been dropped twice, once to a tough chance on the boundary and once to clanger by Sugandika Kumari off her own bowling, Jones finally departed after mistiming a ball from Malki Madara to Chamari Athapaththu at mid off. That brought skipper Sciver-Brunt to the crease, having recovered from the calf injury which kept her out of England's two T20I warm-up series.

Together, Wyatt-Hodge and Sciver-Brunt went through the gears. By the start of the final over of the innings, England were on 193-1, with Wyatt-Hodge on 96. A wide and then a free hit off a no ball which was punched by Sciver-Brunt before brought them to 200. Another wide from Madara, a six from Sciver-Brunt before a scampered single brought Wyatt-Hodge back on strike to secure her century, celebrating by pretending to rock a baby, a tribute to her first child born shortly before the tournament began.

A four off the last ball of the innings brought England's total to 219-1, their second-highest T20I score of all time.

Sri Lanka started timidly in the chase, and lost wickets at regular intervals. Lauren Bell got on the board off the first ball of her second over, pinning Vishmi Gunaratne in front of middle. Charlie Dean kept up the pressure in the next over, snaring a top edge from danger-batter Athapaththu which was caught brilliantly by Wyatt-Hodge diving over her shoulder.

A wicket in her opening over for Linsey Smith after putting the pressure on with three dot balls sent Dulani back, Hansima Karunaratne and Harsitha Samarawickrama departed in consecutive overs to Dean and Freya Kemp respectively.

That left Sri Lanka struggling at 67-5 before Kemp threatened to bring the game to a swift end. She took three wickets in four balls in her second over, leaving Sri Lanka eight down and herself on a hat-trick for the first ball of her next over. However, Nilakshika de Silva put up some late-in-the-day resistance, scoring 37 before she slapped a ball from Sophie Ecclestone straight down the ground and into Alice Capsey's hands. Ecclestone closed out the game by nicking off Madara two balls later, sealing an 87-run win.

Women's T20 World Cup 2026: Updated points table after ENG v SL

Group A

Rank Team Matches Won Lost Tied N/R Points NRR
1 Australia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 India 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 South Africa 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 Pakistan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 Bangladesh 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 Netherlands 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Group B

Rank Team Matches Won Lost Tied N/R Points NRR
1 England 1 1 0 0 0 2 +4.350
2 Sri Lanka 1 0 1 0 0 0 -4.350
3 New Zealand 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 West Indies 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 Ireland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 Scotland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

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