In order to win the series 2-0, England defeated Sri Lanka by 161 runs, with Nat Sciver-Brunt scoring the women’s one-day international series’ fastest century.

Sciver-Brunt reached the milestone in Leicester from 66 balls, surpassing Charlotte Edwards’ attempt of 70 balls.

In a game marred by weather, England scored an impressive 273-8 off of their allotted 31 overs, with Maia Bouchier contributing 95.

After that, Sri Lanka was dismissed for 112 runs off of 24.5 overs by Charlie Dean (5-31) and Lauren Filer (3-30).

Adding 193 combined from just 121 balls, Sciver-Brunt and Bouchier spearheaded an impressive comeback after the hosts fell to 18-2. This was England’s greatest ODI partnership against Sri Lanka.

In place of the ill Heather Knight for her 100th ODI, Sciver-Brunt scored her third ODI century in her previous four innings before succumbing for 120 runs off just 74 deliveries.

When Sri Lanka was under pressure to complete their biggest ODI chase, England faltered, but they recovered well from their shocking T20 series loss.

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Sublime Bouchier and Sciver-Brunt prepare for victory
After a hectic summer, it was understandable for England to rest Sciver-Brunt for the T20 series, but her absence was noticeable as England’s batters struggled, especially when facing spinners from Sri Lanka.

The quality gap between the teams in the longer format was evident here due to Sri Lanka’s poor bowling, although Sciver-Brunt gave her teammates a clinic in spin bowling.

Her century had an air of inevitability despite England being in trouble early on as she scored effortlessly from the get-go, blasting fierce pull shots off the back foot and gorgeous lofted straight drives.

With a nudge off her pads, Sciver-Brunt broke the previous record of 18 fours and one six achieved by former skipper Edwards against New Zealand in 2012. This was also her ninth ODI century.

Bouchier, who reached her first ODI fifty, kept up with Sciver-Brunt’s scoring admirably as she hit two massive sixes over mid-wicket while focusing on her favorite part of the ground.

She even had a chance to break the record Sciver-Brunt had established only moments before, but on the 65th ball she faced, Kavisha Dilhari bowled her out for just five runs short of a century.

In spite of this, the Southern Brave batter has set herself up for a more permanent position in England’s top order in the absence of the injured Emma Lamb and the rested Danni Wyatt.

Bess Heath, a batswoman in the middle order who can also keep wickets, made her England debut and contributed a brisk cameo of 21 from 14 balls.

Dean shines while Sri Lanka’s batting struggles.
Off-spinner Dean, who frequently goes unnoticed while bowling alongside Sophie Ecclestone, the finest white-ball bowler in the world, excelled in this situation without the injured slow left-armer.

It was always going to take a miracle for Sri Lanka to complete their assignment, and Chamari Athapaththu was their captain.

The important wicket of Athapaththu, who was held lbw for 12 and cost Dean two expensive overs, ignited a remarkable spell that included three wickets in one over.

As they demonstrated in their 2-1 triumph over England, Sri Lanka’s dependence on Athapaththu can pay off in the T20 format, but it rarely pays off in the 50-over game, where teams are put to a longer test of their abilities.

Dean finished with her first five-wicket haul in an international match by deceiving the middle order with deft pace changes and a hint of pitch turn.

Along with Sarah Glenn and Mahika Gaur, Filer continued to wow with her pace and contributed with one wicket apiece.

Despite the severe loss, Sri Lanka will depart the tour in good spirits since they have made significant progress in the T20 format and achieved a result in that series that few could have anticipated before the tour even started.

Reaction: “It’s frightening how talented Nat Sciver-Brunt is.”
Nat Sciver-Brunt, the player of the game and acting captain of England, said, “I’m incredibly pleased to have batted the way I did and to have continued the form I had against Australia.

“Seeing the new guys join and have such an influence in their first games has been fantastic. We want to use Lauren Filer’s pace as much as we can because it is so exciting.

According to England’s head coach Jon Lewis, Nat Sciver-Brunt “played brilliantly” on Sky Sports. It was a highly calculated and managed alliance.

When someone questioned me about Nat Sciver-Brunt during the T20 series, I replied, “It’s just that—the control and calmness in the middle that calms everyone else around her.

“Charlie [Dean] is a terrific off-spin bowler, and we have been working really hard with her on consistency and execution. When it goes well, I don’t believe there is another off-spinner in the world who can do it as good as she can.

Chamari Athapaththu, the captain of Sri Lanka, said: “Tough conditions and a tough day at the office.” In this style, we must bat better, choose our shots more carefully, and exercise patience. We must always be bold and cannot place blame on the circumstances.