Nat Syver-Brant praises England’s grit against Sri Lanka after emphatic win in Women’s T20 World Cup opener cricket news

Captain Nat Syver-Brant hailed England’s ruthlessness as they opened the ICC Women’s Twenty20 World Cup with a ‘huge’ win over Sri Lanka at Edgbaston.

Danny Watt-Hodge was the difference-maker for England, scoring an unbeaten 105 and then taking a stunning over-the-shoulder catch to dismiss Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapathu.

Wyatt-Hdge scored 136 for the opening wicket before Sciver-Brant’s 22-ball 46 as Amy Jones took England to 219-1 in 20 overs.

Sri Lanka never looked like overhauling England and were beaten by 132 all out and 87 runs, with Freya Kemp claiming an England-best 4-21 on her World Cup debut and Charlie Dean and Sophie Ecclestone finishing with two wickets each.

“This is a huge win for us,” Syver-Brant said Sky Sports Cricket. “We are really happy that the first game is over.

“What a way to start the first innings. Danny and Amy looked very composed in what they were doing and created a huge platform for us to explode at the end.

“I was really happy to find the middle. I had a few innings in the warm-up, but nothing compares to being out there.”

Asked if England’s performance was ruthless, Syver-Brant added: “Yes, absolutely. We were really composed and thought the game really well.

“In the second innings, it becomes difficult to chase the score, starting with three wickets in the Powerplay.”

As well as his third and England’s fifth T20 century, Watt-Hodge’s ton was his first since wife Georgie gave birth to their daughter Daisy.

Reflecting on the cradle celebration he would have marked his century, Watt-Hodge added: “It was for Daisy, that little cradle. I hope TV gets it.

“It was great fun there. What a crowd. I enjoyed playing in front of this amazing crowd here at Edgbaston.

“What a start. It’s always great to get off to a good start in the World Cup too.

“I really enjoyed playing out there with Amy (Jones), and then Nate doing what he does best there at the end, just hitting it all over the place.

“We said how important it was to get off to a good start and we did that tonight. The pitch here at Edgbaston is always excellent, and then our bowlers did incredibly well to hold on to that total on a really good pitch.

“We go to Southampton tomorrow, Tuesday night, to play Ireland, and hopefully we can do it again.”

Athapathu won the toss and sent England into bat, a decision he regretted as they scored 220 to win after England posted the biggest score in T20 World Cup history.

After seeing 23 fours and three sixes from his six bowlers, his fielders dropping three catches and squandering a chance to run out Watt-Hodge in the powerplay, Athapathu said his side needed to go back to the drawing board before facing New Zealand.

“We didn’t play our best cricket today and we weren’t our best in all three categories. That’s why we lost,” he said.

“The most important thing is to attack the stumps. The bowlers, especially the spinners, were bowling in different lines and in different places. That is not enough, we have to improve our bowling.

“We have to play positive, fearless cricket in the middle all the time. We lost a few wickets in the powerplay and lost our pace, so we have to improve our batting as well.

“The next game is New Zealand, again a tough team. We played the first two games against two big teams, so we have to execute our plans better.

“We’re going back to the drawing board to decide what we can do. We’ve got to make some plans and we’ll be back in the next game.”

England Women’s T20 World Cup Fixtures/Results

All games live on Sky Sports, all times UK and Ireland

• Friday June 12 (Edgbaston): England beat Sri Lanka by 87 runs
• Tuesday 16 June: England v Ireland, Hampshire Bowl 6.30pm
• Saturday 20 June: England v Scotland, 6.30pm at Headingley
• Wednesday 24 June: England v West Indies, Lord’s 6.30 pm
• Saturday 27 June: England v New Zealand, 6.30pm at The Oval

Everyone can stream the 12 group matches involving England, Scotland and Ireland as well as the semi-finals and final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. Live for free on the Sky Sports app.

All you need to do is download the latest version of the Sky Sports app on your phone or tablet and log in.

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Watch every ball of the Women’s T20 World Cup live exclusively on Sky Sports and now Final at Lord’s on July 5.