Twitter Reactions: Alice Capsey’s masterclass propels England women to win in rain-ridden clash against Sri Lanka women

England women kicked off their multi-format white ball series against Sri Lanka women with a T20I game. It is worth noting that both sides will face each other in three T20Is and follow it up with three ODI matches. Both sides took one another on in the first T20I, at the 1st Central County Ground Hove, in East Sussex, on Thursday, August 31. 

England came in to bat first after losing the toss, and the side got off to a good start in the game as the openers attacked the visitors early. Maia Bouchier scored 22 runs in 18 deliveries, with Danni Wyatt scoring 48 runs in 30 deliveries. Furthermore, Alice Capsey followed it up with a brilliant performance, scoring 51 runs in 27 balls. With late pushes of 20 and 23 runs by Freya Kemp and Heather Knight, respectively, England managed to post 186 runs on the board in the 16 overs that were played in the first innings, due to the rain shortening the game.

Sri Lanka put forth a subpar display with the ball in the first innings. Chamari Athapaththu, Inoka Ranaweera, and Kavisha Dilhari took one wicket each as none of the bowlers were able to make an impact in the first innings. With a set target in mind, the rain played spoilsport and significantly shortened the game. With DLS coming into play, Sri Lanka were given a new target of 68 runs to chase down in just six overs. 

England register win through DLS method

As Sri Lanka came in to chase down a target of 68 runs in six overs, the side came quite close to winning the game. However, it was just not enough in the end. Vishmi Gunaratne was left unbeaten with 17 runs in 16 deliveries. Furthermore, Chamari Athapaththu scored 15 runs in 10 balls, with Nilakshi de Silva adding 18 runs in eight deliveries.

Mahika Gaur and Charlie Dean were the only English bowlers to take wickets, with one wicket each to their names. Sri Lanka only managed to score 55 runs in the run chase as England won the game by 12 runs through the DLS method.

Here's how fans reacted to the first T20I between England women and Sri Lanka women:

Blitzed it everywhere 💥#EnglandCricket|#ENGvSL pic.twitter.com/SxPPoHEuJj

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 31, 2023

First wicket in international cricket 👆

Quite an evening for Mahika Gaur 🙌#EnglandCricket #ENGvSL pic.twitter.com/RxBDPMisPH

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 31, 2023

Most 50s for England as a teenager in T20Is

Alice Capsey 3

Most Player of the Match awards for England as a teenager in T20Is

Alice Capsey 3@AliceCapsey returns to form in fine style#ENGvSL

— Mohit Shah (@mohit_shah17) August 31, 2023

"Batting's my number one but I want to turn into that full all-rounder!" 🗣️

Player of the Match Alice Capsey on her desire to keep improving 🏏 pic.twitter.com/i1CkG5K9Jm

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 31, 2023

Alice Capsey has gotta be picked for ENG in all formats: T20, ODI & Tests.

— Mark Wiliams (@MarkJoseWil) August 31, 2023

Alice Capsey unsurprised by Mahika Gaur’s impact in England’s win over Sri Lanka [via @YahooSportUK] https://t.co/ibJ1HiVAmL pic.twitter.com/s1jqwfDGfD

— Ńasser 1️⃣ Million Tweets 🐦 (@nasser_mo3gza) August 31, 2023

Big big total for the Host#ENGWvSLW

— Ishara (@Ishara23032) August 31, 2023

God is a Sri Lanka fan #ENGvSL #EngWvSLW

— Mark Machado (@MarkMachado) August 31, 2023

I guess it's in the umpires hands now. Just 2 overs to bowl, that's 10 minutes...but we've seen them make up their own rules recently #ENGvSL #EngwvSLw

— The Black Hole (@CricketVyrus) August 31, 2023

Ok, this is one of the wildest endings to a game #EngWvSLW

— Mark Machado (@MarkMachado) August 31, 2023

….. another T20 win for @englandcricket
a blistering 48 off 30 by @Danni_Wyatt put England in strong position.#ENGWvSLW #ENGvSL #Eng #T20 #WomensCricket pic.twitter.com/5GcpryrCPX

— Vasanth (@Vasanth1212) August 31, 2023