Birmingham, June 13: In a historic opening match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, England’s batters made headlines. Batting first, the host team scored an impressive 219 runs for the loss of just one wicket in 20 overs, marking the highest score in Women’s T20 World Cup history. England triumphed over Sri Lanka by 87 runs.
Amy Jones and Dan Wyatt provided a sensational start, combining for 135 runs in just 13.4 overs. Jones scored a powerful 53 runs off 38 balls. However, her dismissal did not affect Wyatt, who continued her explosive batting from the other end.
Wyatt remained unbeaten at 105 runs off 62 balls, boasting a strike rate of 169. Her innings included 13 fours and one six. Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt also contributed significantly, scoring an unbeaten 46 runs off 22 balls, with six fours and one six.
Previously, England held the record for the highest score in the Women’s T20 World Cup, having scored 213 runs against Pakistan in 2023 while losing five wickets.
In Friday’s match, while chasing the massive target of 220 runs, Sri Lanka’s entire team was bowled out for 132 runs. The top scorer for Sri Lanka was Nilakshi de Silva with 39 runs, followed by Harshitha Samarawickrama with 29 runs.
The match saw a total of 351 runs scored, making it the second-highest aggregate in Women’s T20 World Cup history. Freya Kemp excelled with the ball for England, taking four wickets for just 22 runs, becoming only the third bowler to achieve this feat in her T20 World Cup debut. Sophie Ecclestone and Charlie Dean each took two wickets, while Lauren Bell and Linsey Smith claimed one wicket apiece.
In 2018, a match between India and England in the Women’s T20 World Cup saw the highest combined runs, totaling 354.
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