🏏ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026: Group 2: England W vs Sri Lanka W 🏏

🏏ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026: Group 2: England W vs Sri Lanka W at Edgbaston, Birmingham on12/06/2026 @ 11PM IST🏏

Edgbaston takes center stage as England, Sri Lanka kick off T20 World Cup

History is on England's side, as they have won 10 of the last 12 T20Is against Sri Lanka

Hosts England will take on Sri Lanka at Edgbaston. The match is set to begin at 6.30pm local time (5.30pm GMT).

England hold an advantage in this contest, having won 10 out of the 12 T20Is between the sides. Sri Lanka though will draw confidence from recent history, having won the last two T20Is against England in 2023. This will be just the fourth time these two sides meet in the T20 World Cup.

England arrive at the tournament having won four out of the six matches since the start of the year, while Sri Lanka come in with momentum on their side, riding on five consecutive T20I wins that include series wins against West Indies and Bangladesh.

Squads:

England Women Squad: Amy Jones(w), Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Nat Sciver-Brunt(c), Heather Knight, Alice Capsey, Freya Kemp, Danielle Gibson, Charlotte Dean, Issy Wong, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Bell, Linsey Smith, Sophia Dunkley, Lauren Filer, Tilly Corteen-Coleman

Sri Lanka Women Squad: Chamari Athapaththu(c), Vishmi Gunaratne, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Imesha Dulani, Hansima Karunaratne, Kaushani Nuthyangana(w), Kawya Kavindi, Nilakshika Silva, Sugandika Kumari, Kavisha Dilhari, Mithali Ayodhya, Hasini Perera, Nimasha Meepage, Chethana Vimukthi, Malki Madara

Team news and likely XIs

England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt warmed up with a half-century against India in the warm-up game on her return from calf injury. She is set to play as a batter for now and hopes to bowl towards the back-end of the tournament.

England (probable): 1 Danni Wyatt-Hodge, 2 Amy Jones, 3 Nat Sciver-Brunt (capt), 4 Alice Capsey, 5 Heather Knight, 6 Freya Kemp, 7 Dani Gibson, 8 Charlie Dean, 9 Sophie Ecclestone, 10 Linsey Smith,11 Lauren Bell

Sri Lanka replaced their ambidextrous 17-year-old spinner Shashini Gimhani with right-arm quick Chethana Vimukthi, after Gimhani picked up a lower-back injury during training.

Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Vishmi Gunaratne, 2 Chamari Athapaththu (capt), 3 Hasini Perera, 4 Harshitha Samarawickrama, 5 Hansima Karunaratne, 6 Kavisha Dilhari, 7 Nilakshika de Silva, 8 Kaushini Nuthyangana (wk), 9 Malki Madara, 10 Sugandika Kumari, 11 Kawya Kavindi/Chetana Vimukthi

Players to watch: Lauren Bell and Chamari Athapaththu

Lauren Bell has been in spectacular form all year, starting with the WPL where she finished with 12 wickets in nine games and was often a handful with the new ball. After picking three wickets in two games against New Zealand, she bagged seven wickets in three matches in the T20I series win against India. She's bowled at an economy of 7.4 this year, and the home conditions are likely to suit her perfectly.

All eyes will once again be on Chamari Athapaththu for Sri Lanka. In what will be her 10th T20 World Cup the 36-year old will be expected to do the heavy lifting for her side. She heads into the tournament in excellent touch, highlighted by a blistering 94 off 58 balls in the warm-up against Pakistan. Her contributions with the ball could prove just as important - she picked up four wickets in three matches in the series against Bangladesh in May.

Quotes

"We are coming in with the underdog tag because we need to earn something. But I know England have a little bit of pressure because they are playing in their home conditions and first game and a lot of expectation. We don't have that kind of pressure, so we just need to play our fearless cricket and if we can play our best cricket tomorrow, I know we can change and we can make history."

Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu

"I'm sitting here feeling really proud and excited to be the leader of the team, but being part of the team as well. The drive and passion that everyone has to improve themselves and learn is putting us in a brilliant position. I'm really excited about tomorrow and what the tournament will bring."

England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt

Edgbaston, Birmingham: Pitch Report

The Edgbaston surface in Birmingham is expected to offer a balanced contest between bat and ball. Batters are likely to enjoy favourable conditions in the early stages, with the pitch providing good pace and bounce, allowing the ball to come nicely onto the bat and making stroke play easier. As the match progresses, however, the surface tends to slow down, bringing spinners and bowlers who rely on variations into the game. Pacers can also find success by mixing up their speeds and using cutters effectively during the middle and death overs.

ENG W vs SL W: Head-to-Head Record

Matches Played 12

Won by ENG W 10

Won by SL W 02

Tie/NR 00

First-Ever Fixture June 14, 2009

Most-Recent Fixture September 6, 2023

ENG W vs SL W: Probable Best Performers of the Match

Probable Best Batter: Alice Capsey

Alice Capsey could be a key player for England Women in their opening Women's World Cup 2026 encounter. The dynamic batter has established herself as one of England's most exciting talents, scoring 956 runs in 51 T20 internationals with her aggressive and fearless approach at the crease. Capsey has shown promising form in the lead-up to the tournament, delivering impressive performances in the warm-up matches.

Probable Best Bowler: Lauren Bell

England Women will rely heavily on right-arm pacer Lauren Bell to lead their bowling attack in the tournament opener. Bell has been one of England's most consistent wicket-takers in the format, claiming 60 T20I wickets with her ability to generate movement and extract bounce from helpful surfaces. The conditions at Edgbaston are expected to suit her strengths perfectly. With the new ball likely to swing under English conditions, Bell can pose a significant threat to Sri Lanka's top order and create early breakthroughs.

Thank you Raji for the thread.