R. Premadasa Stadium sparkled for a moment Sophie Ecclestone Produced delivery worthy of removal opportunity Chamari AthapaththuSri Lankan captain and chief among them Asha women’s world cup 2025 Follow. Home team still needed more than 100 runs, Ecclestone’s magical spin broke the spine Sri LankaInnings of. Athapaththu’s dismissal marked a turning point in the match and the crowd became silent.
Women’s World Cup 2025: Sophie Ecclestone’s magic ball stuns Chamari Athapaththu
Bowling with impeccable control and finesse, Sophie Ecclestone produced a dream delivery from the left-arm spinner. He bowled it attractively, and swung it just enough to tempt Athapaththu into a confident drive. But the ball had other plans, it came down quickly, caught the surface and spun badly off the inside edge. In a flash, it crossed the small gap between bat and pad and hit the stumps with a thud, rendering Colombo silent. Athapaththu, who was struggling hard to score 15 off 39 balls, could only watch in disbelief. Ecclestone’s reaction was calm yet he knew the importance of that success. With this wicket, he claimed his fourth wicket of the night and strengthened England’s hold on the contest. A masterclass in flight, turn and accuracy as Ecclestone once again proved why she is the world’s premier spinner in women’s cricket.
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Women’s World Cup 2025 England Women vs SL Women, 12th Match
Invited to bat first by Sri Lanka, England posted a competitive score of 253/9 in the allotted 50 overs. captain Nat Sciver-Brunt Leading from the front, he played a brilliant inning of 117 runs off 117 balls and took the innings forward as wickets kept falling. Right from the beginning, tammy beaumont (32) gave Sri Lanka a fast start before giving them the lead Inoka Ranaweera (3/33) and Sugandhika Kumari (2/66). The middle order struggled to convert starts, but Sciver-Brunt’s composed century ensured England reached 250.
Chasing 254, Sri Lanka’s innings faltered early on when captain Athapaththu retired hurt on 7 runs, dealing a major blow. Hasni Perera (35) and Harshita Samarawickrama (33) tried to rebuild, but a brilliant spell from Ecclestone (4/17) collapsed the middle order. England’s disciplined bowling and agile fielding have kept Sri Lanka in constant trouble.
At the end of 37 overs, Sri Lanka’s score is 143/6 and they still need 111 runs from 78 balls with a required run rate of 8.53. Task looks tough as England are in complete control, but Sri Lanka still have hopes Nilakshika Silva (15)* and Devami Vihanga (3)* Staging a fight late. With Chamari returning after recovering from cramp, Sri Lanka will need something extraordinary to chase it down under the lights in Colombo.
This article was first published here WomenCricket.comA Cricket Times Company.