Key events
4th over: Sri Lanka 10-0 (Perera 3, Athapaththu 6) Smith curves a textbook delivery past Athapaththu’s outside, then hit 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Rob Smyth will be your expert guide through Sri Lanka’s chase – in the meantime, a nice preview of the winter by Simon Burnton.
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 rate
Nat Sciver-Brunt : 55.9 average, 99.16 strike rate pic.twitter.com/QTIvP40OIF— Abhishek AB (@ABsay_ek) October 11, 2025
The groundstaff are rolling the pitch and everyone retires to the cool and some food.
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…
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
30th over: England 144-3 (Sciver-Brunt 53, Dunkley 18) A handful of singles.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
