Danni Wyatt-Hodge's 'mummy hundred' powers England to 87-run T20 World Cup rout of Sri Lanka

A dominant opening night

England made a flying start to the Women's T20 World Cup under sunny skies at Edgbaston. Danni Wyatt-Hodge's unbeaten 105 off 62 balls anchored an imposing 219 for 1, the highest total ever posted at a women's T20 World Cup, surpassing their own 213 for 5 against Pakistan in 2023. Wyatt-Hodge struck 13 fours and a six, and shared a 136-run opening stand with Amy Jones, who contributed 53 from 38 deliveries. After Jones fell, captain Nat Sciver-Brunt added a rapid 46 not out from 22 balls to push England beyond 200. Sri Lanka's reply never got going. Freya Kemp ripped through the middle order with 4 for 22, and Charlie Dean and Sophie Ecclestone chipped in with two wickets apiece. Sri Lanka were eventually bowled out for 132, with only Nilakshi de Silva's 32 providing any resistance.

Motherhood and the 'mummy hundred'

Wyatt-Hodge's century came three weeks after the birth of her daughter Daisy to partner Georgie. She had struggled on her return to cricket, making 0, 1 and 8 in her previous three T20 internationals. But on the biggest stage she rediscovered her touch, reaching 50 off 31 balls and then going on to three figures. "I said when I got to 50: 'right, double it now'," she revealed. Her celebration was a heartfelt rock of the bat, dedicated to her newborn.

My celebration was for my daughter Daisy. I hope TV got it!

She also spoke about the difficulty of being away from the baby: "I've not seen her for six days and it feels like six months. It is all I think about, even in the night." Wyatt-Hodge now holds three of England's five women's T20 international centuries, the first player to achieve the feat. She was pleased to share the moment with Nat Sciver-Brunt, a fellow mother, saying: "It was really nice to have her in the middle to celebrate that hundred, two mummies."

Sri Lanka's struggles

Sri Lanka's fielding was ragged: they dropped three catches and leaked wides and no-balls, which captain Chamari Athapaththu acknowledged afterwards.

We are not playing our best cricket or doing our best. We need to play positive and fearless cricket. We lost our momentum in the powerplay, and we need to improve our batting.

The chase was derailed early when Athapaththu herself was caught by Wyatt-Hodge for four, and no other batter managed more than 32 as Kemp and the England attack proved too strong.

Team spirit and what lies ahead

Former England fast bowler Katherine Sciver-Brunt, working as a broadcaster, praised Wyatt-Hodge's resilience.

Some people just need a bit of pressure and a bit of 'something' on a game. This is exactly the sort of environment she needs. As a cricketer you can thrive or you can go within yourself, and she thrives with situations like these.

After the match, Sophia Dunkley, dropped for the opener, was first to embrace Wyatt-Hodge as she walked off, a sign of the squad's togetherness. England now face Ireland on Tuesday in their second Group 2 fixture, while Sri Lanka look to bounce back against New Zealand.