Leicester: England allrounder
Nat Sciver-Brunt slammed a breathtaking 120 off just 74 balls against Sri Lanka in the third and final ODI in a 31 overs-per-side rain-affected game here on Thursday.
Sciver-Brunt’s brilliant knock and a 65-ball 95 by Maia Bouchier helped England Women reach a challenging 272/8 in 50 overs.
Sciver-Brunt, the No.1 ranked batter and all-rounder in the ICC Women’s Player Rankings was in top form on Thursday as she unfurled some outrageous strokes on her way to a spectacular hundred in her 100th ODI.
With the persistent rain, the toss had been delayed in Leicester, but when it relented, Sri Lanka put England in to bat and reduced them to 18/2 inside the first five overs.
Sciver-Brunt came together with Maia Bouchier and the duo raced off the blocks, taking the team to 72/2 in 10 overs despite the initial setback.
With the platform well set and a shortened innings on the cards, Sciver-Brunt and Bouchier pressed the accelerator further. Bouchier beat Sciver-Brunt to her half-century, taking just 38 balls for it.
Sciver-Brunt followed suit with a hat-trick of fours in the 15th over. The 193-run stand came off just 20 overs and was only broken when Bouchier was trapped in front by Kavisha Dilhari. By then, Sciver-Brunt had completed her century off 66 balls, making it the quickest ODI ton by an England women’s player.
The wicket didn’t deter the England all-rounder, though, and she smashed three fours in a row of the same over. She was dismissed next over for a brilliant 120 but had already done enough to give England a huge total.
Brief scores:
England-W 273/8 in 50 overs (Nat Sciver-Brunt 120, Maia Bouchier 95; Kavisha Dilhari 3-42) against Sri Lanka W.
–IANS