England 273 for 8 (Sciver-Brunt 120, Bouchier 92) vs Sri Lanka

The pair rescued their side from 18 for 2 with a 193-run partnership for the third wicket to set the visitors a daunting target of 274 in a match reduced to 31 overs a side after the start was delayed by more than three hours.

Sciver-Brunt, playing her 100th ODI and captaining the side after Heather Knight was forced to return to the team hotel feeling unwell, scored her century off just 66 balls – the fastest by an England Women’s player in ODIs – en route to 120 from 74. Bouchier, meanwhile, fell five runs shy of her ton in a blistering 65-ball innings.

It was a fraught start for England after the visitors had won the toss and put them in under heavy skies. Tammy Beaumont survived on 1 when she struck Udeshika Prabodhani hard but straight to Harshitha Samarawickrama, who fumbled the chance at deep midwicket. Achini Kulasuriya then beat Beaumont’s outside edge with an excellent ball which also just missed off stump, then tempted Beaumont to advance on the next ball, only to be caught by Hasini Perera at slip.

Bouchier, opening for the second match in a row with Emma Lamb still out with a back spasm, despatched Prabodhani over deep midwicket for six next over. But Prabodhani responded in her next over by castling Alice Capsey, who managed just 6 batting in Knight’s place at No. 3, and England were 18 for 2 in the fifth over of a six-over Powerplay which they ended at 28 for 2.

But by the 10-over mark that had become 72 for 2, thanks in no small part to Sciver-Brunt, who helped herself to 15 of the 16 runs conceded by Inoka Ranaweera in her first over, with her back-foot drive through cover followed by a thunderous pull to the rope at deep midwicket and a monstrous six into the stands beyond long-off.

Bouchier, who made her ODI debut in Durham on Saturday having played 22 T20Is, kept pace beautifully, launching a free hit off Hansima Karunaratne following a no-ball for height, over the fence with disdain at cow corner for her second six. She brought up her maiden 50-over fifty with the second of three fours in a row as she peppered the leg side off Oshadi Ranasinghe.

Sciver brought up her half-century a short time later off just 32 balls with four off Ranaweera. She raised England’s 150 with a nonchalant scoop to the fine leg boundary off Kavisha Dilhari, one of three fours conceded by the young off-spinner in her first over as the England batters continued picking them off at will.

Sri Lanka had no answers for the scoring prowess of the England duo who kept piling on the runs, although Prabodhani did her best just before they reached the 200-mark in the 23rd over with one that beat Sciver-Brunt’s back-foot swipe and somehow evaded off stump. Sciver-Brunt brought up her century moments later with a single off Kulasuriya. But then Dilhari pinned Bouchier lbw to end a brilliant innings.

Sciver-Brunt didn’t flinch, peeling three fours from the same Dilhari over and another off Ranaweera through extra cover, but she perished next ball, picking out long-off.

That brought debutant Bess Heath to the crease and she managed 21 off 14 balls, including a six over deep midwicket off Kulasuriya and a reverse-sweep for four off Dilhari, who then ended Heath’s cameo as she holed out to Karunaratne.