England open the Women’s T20 World Cup against Sri Lanka at Edgbaston

The Women’s T20 World Cup gets going on Friday night, and it is the hosts who walk out first. England face Sri Lanka at Edgbaston in the tournament opener, with the first ball due at 11pm IST, and Nat Sciver-Brunt’s side carry the weight of a home crowd that has waited a long time to see them lift this trophy again.

England chasing a first title since 2009

England have reached the latter stages of almost every edition of this competition, yet their only triumph remains the inaugural 2009 tournament, which they also hosted. That gap sits at the centre of their campaign. Playing at home, in conditions they know better than anyone, they will not get a more inviting opportunity to end it, and the schedule runs all the way to the final at Lord’s on 5 July.

Sciver-Brunt leads the side into what is her seventh T20 World Cup. She has been managing a calf problem and is set to begin the tournament as a specialist batter rather than risk her bowling early, with Charlie Dean named as her deputy. England’s preparation has been steady rather than spectacular, four wins from six matches since the turn of the year, including a T20I series victory over India.

Sri Lanka arrive with momentum

If there is a side that would not mind being underestimated on opening night, it is Sri Lanka. Chamari Athapaththu’s team come in on a run of five straight T20I wins, a sequence that took in series successes against West Indies and Bangladesh. England have won the bulk of their T20I meetings with Sri Lanka over the years, but the islanders beat them as recently as 2023, so the hosts know better than to treat the night as a formality.

Athapaththu remains the heartbeat of the team. She has played in every previous edition of the tournament and sits on more than 3,700 T20I runs, and when she gets going at the top of the order she can take a game away from a stronger side on her own. Sri Lanka’s hopes of springing a surprise rest heavily on how long she stays at the crease.

The players who could decide it

England will look to Lauren Bell to set the tone with the new ball. The seamer has been in fine rhythm all year, with a dozen wickets in nine games during the Women’s Premier League and another seven across three matches in the series win over India, and the early movement on offer at Edgbaston should suit her. Get her wickets up front and Sri Lanka’s chase, or defence, becomes a lot harder.

For Sri Lanka, the equation is simpler to describe and harder to pull off. Keep Athapaththu in, frustrate Bell and Sophie Ecclestone through the middle overs, and stay in the contest deep enough to put the home crowd on edge. Beat the hosts on the first night and the whole group opens up.

A long road to Lord’s

This is a longer tournament than recent editions, with the field expanded to 12 teams, and the top sides will tell themselves there is room to recover from a slow start. Even so, nobody wants to begin with a defeat, least of all the hosts in front of their own supporters. England will start as clear favourites. Sri Lanka will be hoping to remind everyone, on the very first evening, that favouritism counts for little once the cricket begins.

Follow all the Women’s T20 World Cup action