England ease to 89-run win over Sri Lanka: Women’s Cricket World Cup – as it happened

6.03pm BST Tomorrow’s game is the biggest of them all: India v Australia. Please join Megan Maurice and Geoff Lemon for live coverage of that. Thanks for your company today. I’ll leave you with Raf Nicholson’s report – goodnight. Related: Nat Sciver-Brunt shines as England recover to sweep aside Sri Lanka Updated at 6.04pm BST 6.02pm BST NSB puts her captaincy hat on for another interview I thought we started really well – Amy and Tammy showed some good intent during the Powerplay. At the start it looked fairly easy to score but then the spinners came on and there was some inconsistency in how the ball reacted off the wicket. It felt like I could never accelerate properly until right at the end. [On the challenges of playing spin] Picking length is really important. So is knowing your strengths: if you’re good on the front foot, being able to recognise and do that as much as possible. Not letting the spinners settle either – using little lap sweeps and things like that, so that you can manouevre the field and put the pressure back on the bowler in different ways. [On Sophie Ecclestone] She’s brilliant, isn’t she? [Shakes her head, as if in wonder] From the time she was 16 and came into the team, I think we knew we had something special on our hands. She’s really grown in the last couple of months as well – we’ve challenged her a little bit to improve herself and to really make a mark on this team and for herself. I’m really pleased for her. [Have you played your best game yet?] In patches. We probably haven’t put it all together. We’d like to have had some bigger partnerships to make it feel a bit more comfortable. But yeah, in patches we’ve played really well. 5.56pm BST Chamari Athapaththu’s verdict Our bowling was really good, but catches win matches and we dropped Nat Sciver-Brunt. We had ten days off [because of the washout v Australia] but we are professional cricketers so it’s not an excuse. I struggled in the first over but I feel okay now and I have two days rest ahead of an important game for us. 5.53pm BST There are still one or two worries for England, particularly the form of their middle order. So far Sophia Dunkley, Emma Lamb and Alice Capsey have made a combined total of 52 runs in six innings. Lauren Bell’s numbers aren’t great either – two wickets at 42 –though I thought she bowled well tonight. 5.50pm BST The World Cup points table England P3 Pts 6 (NRR +1.89) Australia P3 Pts 5 (NRR +1.96) India P3 Pts 4 (NR +0.96) South Africa P3 Pts 4 (NR -0.88) New Zealand P3 Pts 2 (NR -0.25) Bangladesh P3 Pts 2 (NR -0.38) Sri Lanka P3 Pts 1 (NRR -1.53) Pakistan P3 Pts 0 (NR – 1.89) 5.49pm BST The player of the match is Nat Sciver-Brunt Their spinners bowled very well and it was turning quite a bit, so it was important to be really precise with the shots you wanted to play. Scoring down the ground felt like my best bet so I tried to do that as long as possible. [On her baby-rocking celebration, with her son Theo in the crowd] I’ve thought about it before, but scoring a century is very special. It’s my first one as captain as well so I’m very happy. 5.47pm BST England return to the top of the table after an ultimately emphatic victory in Colombo. It was set up by their two greatest players: Nat Sciver-Brunt, dropped on 3, made a magnificent run-a-ball 117 to drag them to an above-par score of 253 for 9. Sri Lanka were going well in the chase – until Sophie Ecclestone came on and took out the top order in a remarkable spell of 4 for 3 in 30 balls. Updated at 5.47pm BST 5.44pm BST England win by 89 runs! Wicket! Sri Lanka 164 all out (Prabodani c Sciver-Brunt b Smith 0) Nat Sciver-Brunt finishes the match – and completes a spectacular all-round performance - with a catch at short extra cover off Linsey Smith. Updated at 5.57pm BST 5.42pm BST 45th over: Sri Lanka 163-9 (Prabodani 0, Ranaweera 2) No rush folks, whenever you’re ready. 5.39pm BST 44th over: Sri Lanka 162-9 (Prabodani 0, Ranaweera 1) Linsey Smith is given the opportunity to wrap things up, but Prabodani plays out a maiden. Updated at 5.40pm BST 5.36pm BST 43rd over: Sri Lanka 162-9 (Prabodani 0, Ranaweera 1) England waste an LBW review, not that it matters now, when Prabodani is hit on the pad by a sharp off-break from Dean. Would've missed leg stump. A couple of leg-side wides bring the only runs from the over. Dean’s line has been a bit erratic tonight. 5.31pm BST 42nd over: Sri Lanka 159-9 (Prabodani 0, Ranaweera 1) Capsey rattles through a maiden to Ranaweera. 5.30pm BST 41st over: Sri Lanka 159-9 (Prabodani 0, Ranaweera 1) 5.27pm BST WICKET! Sri Lanka 157-9 (Dasanayaka b Dean 4) Make that 69 for 8 in 22.1 overs. Dasanayaka plays down the wrong line and is cleaned up by a full, quicker ball from Dean; England are one wicket away from an excellent victory. Updated at 5.34pm BST 5.26pm BST 40th over: Sri Lanka 157-8 (Dasanayaka 4, Prabodani 0) A reminder that, when Sophie Ecclestone came on to bowl, Sri Lanka were 89 for 1 after 18 overs chasing 248. Since then they’ve made 69 for 7 in 22 overs. Updated at 5.26pm BST 5.25pm BST WICKET! Sri Lanka 157-8 (Nilakshika c Knight b Capsey 23) Sciver-Brunt off, Capsey on – and she’s straight among the wickets when Nilakshika chips tamely to midwicket. England are almost home. 5.22pm BST 39th over: Sri Lanka 152-7 (Nilakshika 21, Dasanayaka 2) Dasanayaka is dropped by Bell, a relatively straightforward diving chance at short fine leg off the bowling of Charlie Dean. Nilakshika scrunches a boundary through the covers later in the ovet. Net run-rate could be a factor so every run is important for Sri Lanka. England’s hammering of South Africa means they are likely to be exempt from any net run-rate scraps. Updated at 5.22pm BST 5.18pm BST 38th over: Sri Lanka 146-7 (Nilakshika 16, Dasanayaka 1) England’s next game, since you asked, is against Pakistan on Wednesday. Sri Lanka meet New Zealand in a must-win game on Tuesday. Updated at 5.18pm BST 5.16pm BST WICKET! Sri Lanka 145-7 (Vihanga c Dean b Sciver-Brunt 3) Vihanga blasts Sciver-Brunt to the right of midwicket, where Dean swoops to take a brilliant two-handed catch with the minimum of fuss. That’s a fine bit of fielding, the kind that coaches love. Updated at 5.20pm BST 5.13pm BST 37th over: Sri Lanka 143-6 (Nilakshika 15, Vihanga 3) Sophie Ecclestone ends a delightful spell of bowling with figures of 10-3-17-4. In the space of four overs she turned a beautifully poised contest into a formality. Fair to say England’s two all-time greats have delivered today: Nat Sciver-Brunt hit 117, Ecclestone took 4 for 17. There’s a decent case for a shared POTM award. Updated at 5.14pm BST 5.09pm BST 36th over: Sri Lanka 142-6 (Nilakshika 14, Vihanga 3) A defeat here will leave Sri Lanka with one point from three games – but those have been against the top three in the rankings so they are not out of this tournament. If Sri Lanka win their last four games, all of which are winnable in isolation, they should reach the semi-finals. 5.07pm BST 35th over: Sri Lanka 139-6 (Nilakshika 12, Vihanga 2) No fifth wicket for Ecclestone, at least not yet. She has one over remaining. 5.03pm BST 34th over: Sri Lanka 136-6 (Nilakshika 10, Vihanga 1) England are making light work of what looked a very tricky fixture. Barring a bonkers late twist, they will go top of the group table with three wins from three. 5.01pm BST WICKET! Sri Lanka 134-6 (Sanjeewani LBW b Sciver-Brunt 10) Not content with a magnificent run-a-ball 117, Nat Sciver-Brunt takes her first wicket. She struck with an excellent off-cutter to Anushka Sanjeewani, who got in a tangle on the back foot, missed a flick across the line and was given out LBW. Sanjeewani reviewed just in case the ball was bouncing over the top; it wasn’t. Updated at 5.02pm BST 4.58pm BST 33rd over: Sri Lanka 132-5 (Nilakshika 8, Sanjewaani 8) Ecclestone concedes her first boundary with a rare short ball that is slapped through the covers by Sanjewaani. 4.51pm BST Drinks: Sri Lanka need 129 from 108 balls 32nd over: Sri Lanka 125-5 (Nilakshika 7, Sanjewaani 3) Nilakshika pulls Bell for a much-needed boundary, Sri Lanka’s first since the 28th over. That’s drinks. 4.47pm BST 31st over: Sri Lanka 120-5 (Nilakshika 3, Sanjewaani 2) Ecclestone beats Sanjeewani with another big-spinning delivery to the right-hander. Just a single from the over, which lifts the required rate to 7.05. Ecclestone (7-3-6-4) could yet beat her own record for the best figures by an Englishwoman at a World Cup: 6 for 36 against South Africa in the 2022 semi-final. 4.43pm BST 30th over: Sri Lanka 119-5 (Nilakshika 3, Sanjewaani 1) England go up for LBW when Nilakshika misses an attempted pull off Bell. The ball stayed down a touch but would still have bounced over the top and Nat Sciver-Brunt correctly decides not to review. Sri Lanka were 89 for 1 after 18 overs when Ecclestone came into the attack; since then they’ve managed 31 for 4 from 12. 4.41pm BST 29th over: Sri Lanka 116-5 (Nilakshika 2, Sanjewaani 0) Sophie Ecclestone’s bowling figures get more absurd by the minute: 6-3-5-4 now, and across the whole tournament she has 9 for 48 from 22 overs. Updated at 4.42pm BST 4.39pm BST WICKET! Sri Lanka 116-5 (Athapaththu b Ecclestone 15) We’re watching a genius at work. Sophie Ecclestone has taken the key wicket of Athapaththu with the most gorgeous delivery. It lured Athpaththu out of her crease, dipped late and ripped through the gate to hit the stumps. Perfect bowling. Updated at 4.59pm BST 4.34pm BST 28th over: Sri Lanka 115-4 (Athapaththu 15, Nilakshika 1) Athapaththu is hit on the hip by Bell and gets four leg-byes when the ball deflects past the diving Jones. England review unsuccessfully for LBW when a lovely off-cutter from Bell hits Nilakshika on the pad. It looked close, mainly because it was close: the technology showed it was umpire’s call on height. 4.30pm BST 27th over: Sri Lanka 109-4 (Athapaththu 14, Nilakshika 1) A maiden from Ecclestone to Nilakshika; her hold over Sri Lanka is such that even a full toss went unpunished. 4.27pm BST 26th over: Sri Lanka 109-4 (Athapaththu 14, Nilakshika 1) Lauren Bell returns in place of Smith, and Athapaththu uses the extra pace by unfurling a stylish drive behind square for four. Though England are on top, they won’t feel comfortable until Athapaththu has gone. 4.23pm BST 25th over: Sri Lanka 103-4 (Athapaththu 9, Nilakshika 0) Sophie Ecclestone’s figures are entirely ridiculous: 4-2-4-3. She’s also the outright leading wickettaker in the tournament with eight at an average of – and you’ll like this – 5.87. 4.21pm BST WICKET! Sri Lanka 103-4 (Kaveesha b Ecclestone 4) Sophie Ecclestone is just too good. Kaveesha misses a sweep at a flighted delivery that zips on to hit the off stump, and now Sri Lanka are officially in all sorts. Updated at 4.48pm BST 4.18pm BST 24th over: Sri Lanka 101-3 (Kaveesha 3, Athapaththu 8) Athapaththu taps Smith into the leg side for a single. We haven’t seen any big shots or quick singles since her return to the crease; that should give us a better idea of how fit she is. Sri Lanka need Athapaththu because the required rate is creeping up. They need 153 from 162 balls. 4.15pm BST 23rd over: Sri Lanka 98-3 (Kaveesha 1, Athapaththu 7) Athapaththu plays out the remainder of another wicket maiden from Ecclestone, her second in a row. Ecclestone’s figures today 3-2-2-2 Ecclestone’s figures at this World Cup 19-7-45-7. Seven for 45 from 19 overs. She’s quite good, you know. 4.13pm BST WICKET! Sri Lanka 98-3 (Harshitha c Bell b Ecclestone 33) Where’s Richie Benaud when you need him? Sophie Ecclestone has 2 for 2 and is turning this game England’s way. Harshitha’s promising innings of 33 ends with a top-edged sweep to short fine leg – and now the captain Chamari Athapaththu is returning to the middle. Updated at 4.52pm BST 4.11pm BST 22nd over: Sri Lanka 98-2 (Harshitha 33, Kaveesha 1) No real turn for Linsey Smith, that’s not her game, but she continues to be impressively economical: three from this over and 18 from her six so far. 4.08pm BST 21st over: Sri Lanka 95-2 (Harshitha 31, Kaveesha 0) The new batter Kaveesha Dilhari, a right-hander, is beaten by two absolute jaffas in her first three balls. Majestic spin bowling from Ecclestone, who completes the second wicket maiden by an England spinner in this innings. 4.04pm BST WICKET! Sri Lanka 95-2 (Perera c Capsey b Ecclestone 35) If you want something done well, ask Sophie Ecclestone to do it. She has taken a crucial wicket with the first ball of her second over. Perera tried to blast her over mid-on but didn’t get enough on it and Capsey skipped to her right to take a good catch. Updated at 4.06pm BST 4.03pm BST 20th over: Sri Lanka 95-1 (Perera 35, Harshitha 31) England briefly consider an LBW review when Smith – back on in place of Dean – hits Perera on the pad from round the wicket. It pitched outside leg. Perera skips out of her crease to thump a couple of runs down the ground. It would have been four but for a fine tumbling stop at long-off; not sure who the fielder was I’m afraid. Updated at 4.21pm BST 4.00pm BST 19th over: Sri Lanka 92-1 (Perera 32, Harshitha 30) Sophie Ecclestone is belatedly brought into the attack. She’s on the money straight away and concedes only two from her first over – and one of those was down to a misfield at backward point. 3.57pm BST 18th over: Sri Lanka 89-1 (Perera 31, Harshitha 29) Harshitha sweeps a poor delivery from Dean round the corner for four. Dean just can’t get her line right. That ball pitched outside leg stump; the next is an off-side wide. And the next is swept for four more, this time with the aid of a misfield from Lamb in the deep. England have started to lose their way, with the last five overs going for 38. 3.53pm BST 17th over: Sri Lanka 76-1 (Perera 28, Harshitha 20) Capsey is probably outbowling Dean at this stage. She concedes only a couple from her third over, which concludes with a good delivey that bounces to beat Perera’s attempted cut. 3.51pm BST 16th over: Sri Lanka 74-1 (Perera 27, Harshitha 19) Hashitha gets a thick edge off Dean that runs away for four more. England might need to turn to Sophie Ecclestone here because Dean is struggling a bit. I didn’t expect to be saying that when she started with a wicket maiden. 3.44pm BST Drinks: Sri Lanka need 186 from 35 overs 15th over: Sri Lanka 68-1 (Perera 26, Harshitha 14) A bad throw from Beaumont gives Sri Lanka an overthrow. Harshitha glides Capsey for four, then does well not to edge a big, beautiful off-break. Not a great five minutes for England, with 17 coming from the last two overs. Time for everyone to have a drink. 3.41pm BST 14th over: Sri Lanka 62-1 (Perera 26, Harshitha 9) In a sense, Charlie Dean did herself a mischief by dismissing Vishmi. Unlike most offspinners, she has a much better record against right-handers but now she’s bowling to two lefties. Dean’s third over costs 11. One ball drifts down the leg side for five wides; another is paddled very fine for four by Harshitha. Updated at 3.44pm BST 3.38pm BST An update on Chamari Athapaththu She suffered cramp, not a hamstring injury, and may be able to bat later in the innings. Well, well. 3.36pm BST 13th over: Sri Lanka 51-1 (Perera 24, Harshitha 4) Alice Capsey replaces Nat Sciver-Brunt, which means spin at both ends for the first time in this innings. Perera paddles a single to bring up Sri Lanka’s fifty before a leading edge from Harshitha plops safely on the off side. There’s enough happening for the spinners for England to feel in control of the game at this point. 3.34pm BST 12th over: Sri Lanka 49-1 (Perera 23, Harshitha 3) Dean’s second over is less eventful than the first: three singles, a two, no wickets and no extravagant turn. 3.30pm BST 11th over: Sri Lanka 44-1 (Perera 21, Harshitha 0) Perera pulls Sciver-Brunt smoothly round the corner for four. If Dean’s first over is anything to go by, Sri Lanka will have to take England’s seamers. They’ve started well against NSB, who has figures are 2-0-15-0. She’s still 102 runs in credit. Updated at 3.38pm BST 3.26pm BST 10th over: Sri Lanka 37-1 (Perera 16, Harshitha 0) Honestly, that was a laughably good first ball from Charlie Dean – and she follows it with two more jaffas to beat the left-handed Harshitha. A wicket maiden from Dean, and probably one of the best overs of her career. 3.24pm BST WICKET! Sri Lanka 37-1 (Vishmi b Dean 10) England are definitely favourites now. Charlie Dean’s first ball is the kind offspinners dream about day and night: plenty of dip to draw the batter forward, then sharp turn to bowl them through the gate. Vishmi was beaten all ends up and the ball clipped the leg bail. Glorious bowling. Updated at 3.37pm BST 3.22pm BST 9th over: Sri Lanka 37-0 (Perera 16, Vishmi 10) Nat Sciver-Brunt replaces Bell at the Token Seamer’s End. It’s not the greatest start, with four singles followed by a deft steet for four by Perera. This game is fascinatingly poised; it feels like England are favourites, especially with the Athpaththu injury, but batting can get easier under lights and so far Sri Lanka have looked quite comfortable. 3.18pm BST 8th over: Sri Lanka 29-0 (Perera 10, Vishmi 8) Another quiet over from Smith, who has started thriftily and has figures of 4-0-11-0. 3.16pm BST 7th over: Sri Lanka 26-0 (Perera 7, Vishmi 8) Vishmi gets off the mark with a stylish clip for four off Bell. It was hit in the air but placed confidently between midwicket and mid-on. Vishmi makes it consecutive boundaries with a classy steer past short third; Sri Lanka needed that. 3.11pm BST 6th over: Sri Lanka 18-0 (Perera 7, Vishmi 0) Just a single from Smith’s third over. 3.09pm BST Athapaththu retires hurt on 7 Athapaththu is being moved onto a stretcher and will be taken from the field. This is a horrible moment for Sri Lanka’s greatest player, and a huge blow to their chances in this competition. We’re still not sure what happened. It wasn’t a quick single that she took – it was more of a jog – but she started to limp as she approach the non-striker’s end. Vishmi Gunaratne has come in at No3. Updated at 3.10pm BST 3.07pm BST 5.3 overs: Sri Lanka 18-0 (Perera 7, Athapaththu 7) Athapaththu tries to hack Smith over midwicket but can only drag the ball onto the front pad. She takes a single off the next ball, then lies on her front at the non-striker’s end and calls for the physio. This doesn’t look good. If it’s cramp she might be able to continue; if it’s a hamstring injury her game – maybe her tournament – could be over. Updated at 3.15pm BST 3.03pm BST 5th over: Sri Lanka 17-0 (Perera 7, Athapaththu 6) Bell gets a touch too straight and starts her third over with a pair of wides. When she overcompensates on the other side, Perera back cuts crisply for four. Both teams will be happy enough with this start. England would like a wicket but they have control of the scoreboard and the required rate has crept up to 5.26 per over. Updated at 3.10pm BST 2.57pm BST 4th over: Sri Lanka 10-0 (Perera 3, Athapaththu 6) Smith curves a textbook delivery past Athapaththu’s outside, then hits her high on the leg with one that straightens the other way. Athapaththu, 2 from 14 balls after that delivery, responds to the mounting pressure with an elegant chip over mid-on for four. Lovely shot. Edit: the ball that hit Athapaththu on the leg was closer to LBW than anyone realised. Nobody appealed but replays showed it was umpire’s call on height, with everything else meeting the requirements for LBW. Updated at 2.59pm BST 2.54pm BST 3rd over: Sri Lanka 5-0 (Perera 2, Athapaththu 2) Athapaththu is beaten, feeling tentatively for a lovely inswinger from Bell. She made a boundary-laden 43 against India in her only innings of the tournament before today, but her form in recent months hasn’t been great. England would love to get rid of her with the new ball. Bell continues to target Athapaththu with the inswinger. When she tightens her line, Athapaththu defends solidly enough. 2.50pm BST 2nd over: Sri Lanka 3-0 (Perera 1, Athapaththu 1) Linsey Smith starts around the wicket, with a slip in place for thbe outswinger to the left-handers. Athapaththu gets off the mark with a breezy chip back over the bowler’s head for a single; I thought it was deliberately played, but replays suggest there was a fair bit of leading edge and that she was aiming squarer. Two singles from the over. Updated at 3.06pm BST 2.46pm BST 1st over: Sri Lanka 1-0 (Perera 0, Athapaththu 0) Athapaththu is beaten by her first delivery, a wider full-length inswinger from Lauren Bell. It’s a fine first over from Bell, with good control of line – both openers are lefties – and a hint of inswing to make the batters wary. 2.41pm BST Thanks Tanya, hello everyone. We’re just in time for the run-chase. One captain has made a magnificent century; Sri Lanka’s hopes probably rest on Chamari Athapaththu doing something similar. She will open up with Hasini Perera. Updated at 2.42pm BST 2.35pm BST Rob Smyth will be your expert guide through Sri Lanka’s chase – in the meantime, a nice preview of the winter by Simon Burnton. Related: Winter is coming: England’s cricketers fly out for long tour that will decide Ashes and World Cup 2.27pm BST AB and NSB magic. Only two players in ODI history have combined consistency & aggression this perfectly at No.4 batting position; averaging over 50 & striking at above 90 after 50+ innings:AB de Villiers : 53.1 average, 98.64 strike rateNat Sciver-Brunt : 55.9 average, 99.16 strike rate pic.twitter.com/QTIvP40OIF— Abhishek AB (@ABsay_ek) October 11, 2025 2.26pm BST The groundstaff are rolling the pitch and everyone retires to the cool and some food. No other player has more hundreds in Women's World Cups than Nat Sciver-Brunt.A sensational innings from the England captain in Colombo.#EnglandCricket #WomensWorldCup pic.twitter.com/NDODMq0uu2— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) October 11, 2025 2.22pm BST Tammy Beaumont gets the mid-innings interview short straw: “ The conditions changed. The new ball skidded on, and wasn’t spinning as much, then around the 25 to 30 over mark the pitch changed and started to offer that spin. The way Nat navigated that was important. The way she adapted, she started aggressively and then stayed composed. It shows how good she is and how lucky we are.” Too right, that was such a great innings, so well constructed and brilliantly timed amongst the debris of a mid-innings wobble to accelerate at the end. Just a shame for Sri Lanka that they dropped her on three… 2.16pm BST Sri Lanka will need 254 to win 50th over: England 253-9 ( Smith 5, Bell 1) Bang - four through point, biff – four through cover, crash -four through long off. NSB gets the score past 250 and puts England in the driving seat. 2.13pm BST WICKET! Sciver-Brunt c Nilakshi b Prabodani 117 (England 252-9) After pancaking Prabodani for three successive fours, she perishes to a full toss, caught at long-on. Back slaps and high fives in the dressing-room. 2.08pm BST A hundred for Sciver-Brunt! 49th over: England 239-8 (Sciver-Brunt 104, Smith 4) A fifth ODI World Cup hundred for Nat Sciver-Brunt and she brings it up with an inside-out six. She pulls off her helmet and celebrates with a big smile and rock the baby arms. Great innings and one over yet to milk. She flays Sugandika Kumari for four more down the ground and SL need to keep their nerve here. Updated at 2.15pm BST 2.04pm BST 48th over: England 222-8 (Sciver-Brunt 92, Smith 3) Smith is England’s only left-hander. She drives Prabodhni into the non-striker’s stumps, with NSB out of her crease, and there is a pause while the third umpire ponders whether bowler got hand on ball. She didn’t. NSB nearly finds the rope, seven from the over and England look like they will get close to that 250 mark. 2.00pm BST 47th over: England 218-8 (Sciver-Brunt 82, Smith 1) NSB has just got the party started by slamming Dasanayaka back past her nose and hand and down to the rope, when Ecclestone does some ineffective gardening. Hello Andrew Benton “Those stumps look to be giant ones in the pic - they’re not, are they? No size change for the competition? Nicely purple, though.” Purple and perfectly proportioned. 1.56pm BST WICKET! Ecclestone st Sanjeewani b Dasanayaka 3 (England 216-8) The immaculate Sanjeweewani plucks bail from stump as Ecclestone wanders forward to turn Dasanayaka round the corner and misses. 1.52pm BST 46th over: England 209-7 (Sciver-Brunt 82, Ecclestone 2) Ecclestone joins the party, who is more than capable of lumping the ball over the rope. 1.50pm BST WICKET! Dean c Vihanga b Prabodani 19 (England 206-7) Dean bends elegantly to to toe-ramp, but the ball flies only to the fielder at short fine leg. Sri Lanka continue to weave. Updated at 2.21pm BST 1.46pm BST 45th over: England 204-6 (Sciver-Brunt 78, Dean 15) A sweep from Dean takes England past 200 – and five singles from Sugandika Kumari’s eighth over. Five overs left to put the rocket boosters on. 1.45pm BST 44th over: England 199-6 (Sciver-Brunt 78, Dean 15) An enthusiastic lbw appeal from Prabodani against NSB and Sri Lanka inexplicably review a ball that pitched outside leg. Reviews now gone. “Jan Pienkowski?” asks John Starbuck. “Was that from the Christmas illustration or one of the fairy tales? You don’t get this level of art debate on anything else but the OBO.” I can’t claim much art knowledge but I did love his illustrations as a child. The beautiful Christmas book plus Meg and Mog, Fairy Tales, Haunted House etc. For the innings break. Related: Jan Pieńkowski obituary 1.38pm BST 43rd over: England 195-6 (Sciver-Brunt 76, Dean 13) Dasanayaka once more. England are grateful for a wide, but they pick up five singles. 1.35pm BST 42nd over: England 187-6 (Sciver-Brunt 73, Dean 11) Something that sounds like a call to prayer is now echoing over the ground (apologies if I’ve got this wrong). Prabodani returns to the attack with her left arm medium pace. England once again pick off the singles, as the overs start to swirl away. 1.30pm BST 41st over: England 184-6 (Sciver-Brunt 70, Dean 9) Sun almost gone now, the skyline like a Jan Pieńkowski illustration. A boundary, at last, as Dean reverse-sweeps Sugandika for four. Updated at 1.33pm BST 1.26pm BST 40th over: England 179-6 (Sciver-Brunt 69, Dean 5) Sri Lanka’s fielding is suddenly on point, England’s running suddenly hesitant, just three from Kavisha’s eigth over. Updated at 1.31pm BST 1.24pm BST 39th over: England 176-6 (Sciver-Brunt 67, Dean 4) England survive Ranaweera’s final over and life should be easier now. Ranaweera finishes with three for 33 in her ten overs and is the tournament’s joint leading wicket-taker, despite having a game washed out without a ball bowled. Very nicely done. Updated at 1.31pm BST 1.19pm BST 38th over: England 174-6 (Sciver-Brunt 67, Dean 2) Tammy Beaumont spoke to the press on Friday, said that this WC showed that someone in each team would have to go big and that it might not be pretty. NSB’s turn today. Two from Kaveesha’s over as Sri Lanka keep it tight. Updated at 1.31pm BST 1.17pm BST 37th over: England 171-6 (Sciver-Brunt 66, Dean 1) The statisticians tells us that Capsey has been dismissed five times in ODIs by left arm spin with an average of five. Something for England’s opponents – Pakistan, India, Australia, New Zealand - to mull over. They run hard and pick up two from Ramanweera’s guile. 1.12pm BST 36th over: England 169-6 (Sciver-Brunt 64, Dean 0) Dean’s 27 was crucial in the match against Bangladesh, can she do it again here? A glorious yellow setting sun watches as Kaveesha’s over draws just a single. Updated at 1.13pm BST 1.10pm BST 35th over: England 168-6 (Sciver-Brunt 63, Dean 0) A double wicket maiden as Ranaweera finds her length and does it again! Game changing over. 1.09pm BST WICKET! Capsey st Sanjeewani b Ranaweera 0 (England 168-6) Capsey gets three spinning, spitting deliveries from Ranaweeera, is drawn forward by her fourth and stumped by a toecap. 1.05pm BST WICKET! Lamb b Ranaweera 13 (England 168-5) A paddle sweep too many, as a full ball creeps under the bat off her leg and into the stumps. Lamb cradles her gloves and strides away. Updated at 1.22pm BST 1.03pm BST 34th over: England 160-4 (Sciver-Brunt 63, Lamb 13) Vihanga’s first ball is whooped through midwicket for four, and they are content to milk singles from the rest of the over. 1.00pm BST 33rd over: England 160-4 (Sciver-Brunt 57, Lamb 11) Whatever was in those drinks has worked wonders, as Lamb replenishes the boundary basket, with two immediately after the break – one a reverse-sweep courtesy of some wayward bounce, the other a paddle sweep. And the sun starts to set over the Colombo skyline. 12.54pm BST 32nd over: England 154-4 (Sciver-Brunt 56, Lamb 2) Emma Lamb was voted PCA Woman’s player of the year just this week. A chance here, for runs. England in a great position, but Sri Lanka are knitting a web. They pause for drinks. 12.51pm BST 31st over: England 147-4 (Sciver-Brunt 54, Lamb 1) A handy breakthrough for Sri Lanka, just as Dunkley was starting to look settled. England – stretch and ponder – they’ve hit just one boundary in the last 12 overs. 12.49pm BST WICKET! Dunkley c and b Kaveesha 18 (England 146-4) Dunkley drives and Kaveesha clasps the prize low down by her ankles, one leg bent like a tripod. She hurls the ball in the air and beams. 12.45pm BST 30th over: England 144-3 (Sciver-Brunt 53, Dunkley 18) A handful of singles. 12.44pm BST 29th over: England 141-3 (Sciver-Brunt 51, Dunkley 16) Kaveesha rattles through another over, England’s projected score at the current rate is 243 – Athapaththu said before the game that she’d like to keep England to between 200-240. But you feel NSB will blast through that if she stays in. 12.40pm BST Fifty for Nat Sciver-Brunt 28th over: England 137-3 (Sciver-Brunt 50, Dunkley 13) England survive a yes-no single, and NSB picks up fifty next ball with another jogged run. That’s her fifty from 57 balls, she gets a hand shake from Dunkley and briefly raises her bat to the dressing room. Sri Lanka try not to remember that they dropped her on three. Updated at 12.44pm BST 12.36pm BST 27th over: England 132-3 (Sciver-Brunt 46, Dunkley 9) Kaveesha again, whirls away. England are content to push her around for singles. The easy-breezy middle overs. Updated at 12.37pm BST 12.33pm BST 26th over: England 127-3 (Sciver-Brunt 42, Dunkley 12) Vihanga starts with three dots and finishes with two singles. Dunkley is giving herself time to adjust to the conditions, as NSB did before her. She made a duck in her one innings to date. Updated at 12.37pm BST 12.29pm BST 25th over: England 125-3 (Sciver-Brunt 42, Dunkley 9) Spinner Kaveesha Dilhari replaces Vihanga. Right arm, light and bouncy, long fingers, hair chopped. NSB sweeps her third ball, swerving down leg, for four. Halfway. 12.25pm BST 24th over: England 118-3 (Sciver-Brunt 37, Dunkley 7) Ranaweera starts with three dots to Dunkley, and just one from the over. She reties her ponytail as she goes over to whisper in the keeper’s ear. 12.22pm BST 23rd over: England 117-3 (Sciver-Brunt 37, Dunkley 6) Why, asks Mel Jones, don’t teams playing England set a field for the lap shot which they all use early in the innings? Dunkley duly picks up a few in that area. 12.19pm BST 22nd over: England 110-3 (Sciver-Brunt 35, Dunkley 1) Ooof, NSB nearly done by some grip and drift from Ranaweera, she misses, but is saved by a well-stretched back leg. And Sri Lanka get their crucial breakthrough too this ominous-looking partership a couple of balls later. Updated at 12.22pm BST 12.17pm BST WICKET! Knight c Vihanga c Ranaweera 29 (England 109-3) Knight goes for a reverse-sweep and seems to be caught at slip by Athapaththu. But the umpire says no….Sri Lanka review at the last gasp…. the pictures are tricky to dissect but there seems to be a slither of a spike off the glove, and yes, Knight is marching off. This time, the cameras send her on her way. Updated at 12.25pm BST 12.12pm BST 21st over: England 108-2 (Knight 29, Sciver-Brunt 34) Vihanga again, NSB misses a sweep but gloves it for a couple, and a nice looking sweep from Knight is well picked up a square leg. Knight, who looks really hot, and NSW call for a towel and water, though Knight turns down the offer of another banana. It’s hot and muggy work out there, and clouds lurk. 12.07pm BST 20th over: England 103-2 (Knight 27, Sciver-Brunt 31) NSB brings up the fifty partnership, off 59 balls, with a shimmied six over long on. She and Knight are looking ominously settled now, slippers on, tea in hand. 12.03pm BST 19th over: England 94-2 (Knight 26, Sciver-Brunt 23) Time for a twirl from 20 year-old Vihanga. She’s tall, keeps the ball close to her chest until a last minute unwind. England rotate the strike easily and NSB eyes up a short one and whips it away for four. Updated at 12.04pm BST 11.59am BST 18th over: England 84-2 (Knight 24, Sciver-Brunt 17) Ranaweera whizzes through another over. Updated at 11.59am BST 11.57am BST 17th over: England 81-2 (Knight 24, Sciver-Brunt 13) It feels as NSB is starting to settle. A sweep for two off Athapaththu is followed by a back-foot dart for four. Updated at 11.59am BST 11.52am BST 16th over: England 75-2 (Knight 24, Sciver-Brunt 6) NSB attempts to sweep Ranaweera, whose collar is buttoned up to the chin. She misses, and it is called wide. Ranaweera is hurt fielding off her own bowling and as she gets some treatment, they take DRINKS. On come some slices of melon (I think) and some drinks. Oh no, maybe it is bananas. Ranaweera is fine and completes the rest of her over for the cost of just one more run. Updated at 11.54am BST 11.45am BST 15th over: England 72-2 (Knight 23, Sciver-Brunt 5) Knight lofts Athapaththu over midwicket for four, not a perfect shot but has the desired result. 11.42am BST 14th over: England 67-2 (Knight 18, Sciver-Brunt 5) A chance mislaid for Sri Lanka as NSB (3) is dropped at midwicket by Udeshika Prabondai, who gets two rigid hands to the ball and parries it to the ground Four from the disappointed Ranaweera’s over. 11.39am BST 13th over: England 63-2 (Knight 16, Sciver-Brunt 3) Athapathtu again, red hankerchief hanging out of her back pocket. NSB is watchful, Knight too until Athapathtu releases a fat full toss which she slams to the rope. Athapathtu rubs her hand on said hanky in frustration, perhaps it slipped out of the hand. 11.35am BST 12th over: England 57-2 (Knight 11, Sciver-Brunt 2 ) Ranaweera gets her first over, a slip lurking. An excellent bit of fielding by the sweeper denies Knight a boundary. 11.30am BST 11th over: England 52-2 (Knight 6, Sciver-Brunt 2 ) The brains trust are now out in the middle for England. Another cheap over pases for Athapathtu. 11.28am BST 10th over: England 50-2 (Knight 5, Sciver-Brunt 1 ) Step, step, ping: Beaumont lofts Dasanayak straight for four, but perishes two balls later, leaving Sri Lanka pretty happy at the end of the power play. 11.26am BST WICKET! Beaumont c Harshitha b Dasanayaka 32 (England 49-2) Beaumont sashays down the pitch for the second time in the over but skews off the outside edge and is caught at cover. Updated at 11.53am BST 11.23am BST 9th over: England 45-1 (Beaumont 28, Knight 5 ) Athapathtu brings herself on, hitches up her short sleeves and directs the field in her sunglasses. She’s fabulously charismatic. Knight hits the ball back at her and she throws the ball back at the stumps in great excitement but only succeeds in hitting Knight on the leg – she runs down the pitch to apologise. Updated at 11.26am BST 11.19am BST 8th over: England 44-1 (Beaumont 27, Knight 5 ) A gorgeous clonking sound off the bat as Knight drives Dasanayaka for two. This is Sri Lanka’s first game for 11 days which, if you’re being generous, might explain some of the rustiness in the field. 11.17am BST 7th over: England 40-1 (Beaumont 26, Knight 2) Prabodani whistles through her fourth over, just a couple of runs from it. 11.14am BST 6th over: England 38-1 (Beaumont 25, Knight 1) Beaumont drills Dasanayaka for four from her first ball, but is hit low on pads, and deep in her crease, by an arm ball from the penultimate ball of the over. Sri Lanka decide to review, despite the ball looking as if it is going to drift past leg stump – and they duly lose one of their two reviews. 11.10am BST 5th over: England 33-1 (Beaumont 20, Knight 1) Beaumont rebuilds with a boundary down to fine leg. 11.06am BST 4th over: England 25-1 (Beaumont 13, Knight 0) A round of applause from NSB as Beaumont paddle sweeps for four, the dust exploding from her moving boots. Then an authoritative cut for four more. Then the miscalculated run, perhaps borne of sudden confidence. Updated at 11.07am BST 11.03am BST WICKET! Jones run out (Kaveesha) 11 (England 24-1) Oh dear. Beaumont calls for a run to cover that always looked unlikely. Jones hesitated, and that split second’s thought was her downfall, a good enough throw to Sanjeewani does the job. Updated at 11.14am BST 10.59am BST 3rd over: England 16-0 (Jones 11, Beaumont 5) A miserly over from Pradodani, neat and tidy medium pace. 10.57am BST 2nd over: England 14-0 (Jones 9, Beaumont 5) Spin at the other end from Dasanayaka, and ooof, Beaumont is hit on the front pad. She’s stretched her leg hugely, pretty far forward, but it looks out and umpire raises her finger. She reviews, correctly as it turns out as the ball is missing leg, and she then clops the next ball serenely through the covers for four. 10.51am BST 1st over: England 9-0 (Jones 8, Beaumont 1) A half-hearted dive from Vihanga, like a sleepy stretch from a deck-chair to catch some wayward suncream, lets Jones pick four from and edge to Prabodani’s first ball. Another bit of careless fielding brings a single, not the on point start Sri Lanka would have wanted. 10.46am BST Sri Lanka sprint onto the field led by Athapaththu; Beaumont and Jones stride behind. The ground does not look hugely full to be honest, but I know in India more spectators have come in for the second innings. Updated at 10.53am BST 10.43am BST Here come the teams, hand in hand with their mascots. Sri Lanka’s anthem first, a long, lyrical number, before an upbeat verse of God Save the King, with a handful of the English women struggling to contain a fit of giggles. 10.31am BST Sky show a really lovely little interview with Heather Knight and some of her teammates about how she feels she can connect with her teammates in a different way now she no longer has the pressures of captaincy. 10.24am BST One change for Sri Lanka: Allrounder Dewmi Vihanga replaces Achini Kulasuriya. Sri Lanka: Chamari Athapaththu (c), Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Vishmi Gunaratne, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshi de Silva, Anushka Sanjeewani (wk), Sugandika Dasanayaka, Dewmi Vihanga, Inoka Ranaweera, Udeshika Prabodhani 10.21am BST England XI are unchanged England: Tammy Beamont, Amy Jones (wk), Heather Knight, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Sophia Dunkley, Emma Lamb, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith, Lauren Bell. 10.18am BST Sri Lanka win the toss and will bowl … “Because I’m very confident with my bowling unit.” NSB looks happy, says she would have batted, that the surface looks pretty good. Updated at 10.49am BST 10.09am BST Arnold says he would bowl first, on what looks like a dry pitch. NSB and Athapaththu are walking to the middle with what looks very much like team sheets, so the toss must be imminent. Updated at 10.12am BST 10.08am BST A 15 minute delay due to rain Though it all seeems gorgeously sunny now in Colombo. Russel Arnold is looking dapper in regulation CWC maroon trousers and very open necked shirt and is joined by Tash Farrant, who says she was asked by Charlotte Edwards to go into the nets as a left-hander, like Chamari Athapaththu. 10.00am BST Sri Lanka have won only once in an ODI against England, but they do have trump cards. Chamari Athapaththu is a veteran of franchise cricket and a real threat, while left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera had India worried with three wickets in an over in the opening game. 9.54am BST Preamble Good morning! Today, we are in Colombo, where England start their two match adventure in Sri Lanka by playing the joint hosts. It’s been a pretty shiny start for England. Two wins from two games left them top of the table after the first couple of rounds – even if the victory against Bangladesh wasn’t the most convincing performance – dragged over the line by Heather Knight and some catches that might have been. Sri Lanka are yet to get going, losing to India in the opening game of the tournament while their game against Australia was washed out. But the ball spins a lot at Colombo, and England can come unstuck. Play is due to start at 10.30am BST, though the grungy skies may push things back. Do join us.