Sri Lanka bowl in 17-over recreation, Mahika Gaur debuts for England
Toss Sri Lanka selected to bowl vs England
England handed a debut to 17-year-old Mahika Gaur after a delayed begin to the opening T20I of the collection in opposition to Sri Lanka, with the vacationers selecting to bowl first in a shortened recreation after profitable the toss.
Heavy rain in the course of the day in Hove result in the beginning time being pushed again by an hour, earlier than the climate cleared up sufficient for a 17-over contest.
Heather Knight indicated earlier than the sport that this was the start of a brand new World Cup cycle for her workforce, simply over a 12 months out from subsequent 12 months’s event in Bangladesh, with Gaur probably the most eye-catching member of the subsequent technology. A 6ft 3in left-armer, Gaur was born in Reading however made her worldwide debut for UAE on the age of 12, and has impressed within the Hundred for Manchester Originals and with Thunder on the regional home circuit.
Another teenager, Freya Kemp, makes her first England look since final September, enjoying as a specialist batter after a again harm. But there was room for expertise, too, with Kate Cross recalled for her first T20I since 2019 after serving to Northern Superchargers to achieve the Hundred ultimate.
Lauren Bell was not thought-about for choice and can miss the second T20I in Chelmsford as effectively because of sickness.
With slate-grey skies overhead, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu had no hesitation in inserting England, hoping for some help for her bowlers. Sri Lanka chosen 9 of the XI who claimed a first-ever T20I win over New Zealand in Colombo final month, with Athapaththu’s aspect having earlier taken the ODI collection 2-1, one other maiden success.
England 1 Danni Wyatt, 2 Maia Bouchier, 3 Alice Capsey, 4 Heather Knight (capt), 5 Amy Jones (wk), 6 Freya Kemp, 7 Danielle Gibson, 8 Sarah Glenn, 9 Charlie Dean, 10 Kate Cross, 11 Mahika Gaur
Sri Lanka 1 Harshitha Samarawickrama, 2 Chamari Athapaththu (capt), 3 Nilakshi de Silva, 4 Vishmi Gunaratne, 5 Kavisha Dilhari, 6 Anushka Sanjeewani (wk), 7 Inoka Ranaweera, 8 Sugandika Kumari, 9 Udeshika Prabodhani, 10 Hasini Perera, 11 Kawya Kavindi