Danni Wyatt-Hodge's unbeaten century powers England to crushing win over Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup opener

Danni Wyatt-Hodge's brilliant unbeaten century and Freya Kemp's four-wicket haul powered England to a dominant 87-run win over Sri Lanka in their Women's T20 World Cup 2026 opener.

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Danni Wyatt-Hodge in this frame. (Getty)

Danni Wyatt-Hodge in this frame. (Getty)

Story Highlights:

Danni Wyatt-Hodge smashed an unbeaten 105 to help England post their highest-ever Women's T20 World Cup total of 219/1.

Freya Kemp starred with the ball as England bowled Sri Lanka out for 132 to seal a commanding 87-run victory.

England kicked off their ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 campaign on a strong note, defeating Sri Lanka by 87runs at Edgbaston Friday, June 12. The game belonged to Danni-Wyatt-Hodge, who scored a marvelous unbeaten 105 off just balls and powered England to a dominant win.

Notably, it was only England's fifth women's T20 hundred and Wyatt-Hodge has scored three of them.

Dominant batting show from England

Before the T20 World Cup opener, Wyatt-Hodge struggled a lot for runs since coming back from maternity leave, registering single-digit scores in her last three games. However, she made a strong comeback, powering England to 219/1, which turned out to be their highest-ever total in the competition, surpassing the 213/5 they posted against Pakistan in 2023.

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Highest team totals in Women's T20 World Cup history:

Team Score Overs Against Venue Date
England 219/1 20.0 Sri Lanka Birmingham June 12, 2026
England 213/5 20.0 Pakistan Cape Town February 21, 2023
South Africa 195/3 20.0 Thailand Canberra February 28, 2020
India 194/5 20.0 New Zealand Providence November 9, 2018
Australia 191/4 20.0 Ireland Sylhet March 27, 2014
Australia 189/1 20.0 Bangladesh Canberra February 27, 2020
New Zealand 189/3 20.0 Bangladesh Cape Town February 17, 2023
West Indies 187/5 20.0 Sri Lanka Gros Islet November 16, 2018
Australia 185/2 20.0 Pakistan Sylhet March 29, 2014
Australia 184/4 20.0 India Melbourne May 8, 2020

Horrible game for Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka endured a horrible show with both ball and bat, conceding 23 fours and three sixes while also dropping three easy chances. While chasing a massive target of 220, they never looked in the contention to challenge England as they bundled out for just 132.

For England, Freya Kemp turned out to be the best bowler, as she finished the game with the figures of 4/21, while Charlie Dean and Sophie Ecclestone chipped in with two wickets each.

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