Athapaththu Sends Sri Lanka Into En-w Vs Sl-w With Toss Call

Sri Lanka won the toss and inserted England in en-w vs sl-w at Edgbaston on 5 July 2024. Chamari Athapaththu’s call sent the Women’s T20 World Cup opener into play at 6.30pm BST with the visitors choosing to bowl first.

Edgbaston Opens the Tournament

England named Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Amy Jones, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Alice Capsey, Heather Knight, Freya Kemp, Dani Gibson, Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith and Lauren Bell in their XI. Sri Lanka countered with Athapaththu, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Nilakshika Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Vishmi Gunaratne, Imesha Dulani, Hansima Karunaratne, Kaushini Nuthyangana, Sugandika Kumari, Malki Madara and Mithali Ayodhya.

England set up with Alice Capsey at number 4 and backed a triple spin attack through Sophie Ecclestone, Charlie Dean and Linsey Smith. That selection pointed to control through the middle overs, while Sri Lanka arrived after winning their last T20I matches before the tournament.

England's Home Campaign

The opener also starts a tournament built around 12 teams, split into two groups of 6, with each side playing the others in its group before the top two advance to the semi-finals. Across 33 matches and seven venues, the opening result becomes the first live marker in a race that ends with the final scheduled for Lord’s on July 5th.

England are aiming to win the trophy on home soil for the first time since the inaugural Women’s T20 World Cup 16 years earlier, when they lifted the title under Charlotte Edwards. For Nat Sciver-Brunt’s side, the task began with a home crowd and a toss they did not win.

Charlote Edwards Era Return

Edwards now coaches the current England side, which adds another line of continuity to a tournament that has returned to English soil for the first time in 16 years. Sri Lanka’s decision to field first put the pressure immediately on England’s top order, with the first hour at Edgbaston setting the shape of the group stage.