Women's World Cup: Scoring down the ground felt like my best bet, says Sciver-Brunt

Colombo, Oct 11 (IANS) After steering England to a competitive total against Sri Lanka with a record-breaking century, captain Nat Sciver-Brunt credited her calculated shot selection and focus on partnerships for the team’s recovery from early setbacks to earn an 89-run win in the perfect Women’s World Cup campaign so far.

Sciver-Brunt, who scored 117, studded with nine fours and two sixes, was named Player of the Match for her fantastic knock and also bagged two scalps with the ball to cap off the game with an all-round show.

Talking about her stay in the middle, Sciver-Brunt said, “Wanted to build a partnership and build something so that the batters coming in could accelerate towards the back end. We always speak about having a set batter towards the end. Really happy I was able to do that today.”

Facing disciplined spin bowling from Sri Lanka, the England captain acknowledged the challenge of timing her shots on a surface that offered significant turn.

“Their spinners bowled very well; it was turning quite a bit, I had to be precise about the shots I wanted to play, scoring down the ground felt like my best bet,” she added in the post-match presentation.

Her composed knock not only guided England to a total of 253 but also earned her a place in the record books as the player with the most centuries in Women’s ODI World Cups — surpassing Janette Brittin, Charlotte Edwards, and Suzie Bates.

Sciver-Brunt capped off the moment with a thoughtful celebration, marking her first century as England captain. “I had thought about that (celebration) before, scoring a hundred is always special, the first one as captain as well.”

Chasing 254, Sophie Eccelstone’s 4-17 bundled out Sri Lanka for 164 in 45.4 overs to earn another thumping victory in the showpiece spectacle.

With three wins in as many games, England currently tops the points table with six points and will next take on Pakistan in Colombo on October 15.

--IANS

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