Shai Hope’s controlled half-century helped Guyana Amazon Warriors complete a six wicket win and the double against the Trinbago Knight Riders as the two sides, on Saturday, played out a dress rehearsal ahead of Wednesday night’s Qualifier 1.

The Amazon Warriors won the toss and opted to field first and the decision went in their favour as a Knight Riders side shorn of Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine posted a competitive 176-8. The Amazon Warriors timed their chase perfectly in reply as Hope carried on his good form with an unbeaten 54 to ensure the game was won with 10 balls to spare.

Earlier on, a much-changed Knight Riders got off to a bad start when Martin Guptil was run out for one but Mark Deyal’s quick fire 37 from 20 balls ensured the Knight Riders were able to post a healthy 49-2 by the end of the PowerPlay.

Chadwick Walton and Keacy Carty put on a 59-run partnership before Imran Tahir cleaned up Walton for 25.

However, that merely signalled the moment for Carty to press the accelerator. He took an extreme liking to Odean Smith, taking him for 26 runs in the 15th over to bring up his half century.

Carty was to go on to make a brilliantly constructed 83 before he was eventually stumped. That wicket was one of three in the 19th over as Imran Tahir halted the Knight Riders momentum.

The Knights Riders were to eventually post 176, a total that gave their bowlers something to work with.

In reply, the Amazon Warriors got off to the best possible start in the PowerPlay. Odean Smith partnered Saim Ayub and the pair reached 56-0 at the end of six overs but Ayub was to fall immediately after the fielding restrictions were lifted, skying a delivery from Akeal Hosein.

Smith was to go on to make his best score of the 2023 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) – benefitting from three drops on his way to a sparkling 44, Smith’s knock ensured the Warriors only needed 60 from 44 balls with eight wickets remaining.

It was an equation the Amazon Warriors negotiated with ease as they romped to victory with two overs remaining.

Scores: Guyana Amazon Warriors 177-4 (Hope 54*, Smith 44; Deyal 1-21, Hinds 1-26) beat Trinbago Knight Riders 176-8 (Carty 83, Deyal 37; Tahir 3-12, Paul 1-11) by 6 wickets

Jamaica Tallawahs earned a vital 59 run victory over the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots to ensure they remained in contention for the 2023 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Playoff stage next week.    

The Tallawahs won the toss and chose to bat first, despite losing early wickets to the spin of Ashmead Nedd and George Linde, a 62 run seventh wicket partnership between Shamar Springer and Fabian Allen hauled the side to a formidable 178/7 after 20 overs. 

Despite a valiant 65 from Yannic Cariah, St Kitts & Nevis Patriots were bowled out for 119, Mohammad Amir taking 4 wickets in a brilliant spell and ensuring the Tallawahs won by 59 runs.  

The Jamaican franchise were restricted in the PowerPlay by the bowling of Sheldon Cottrell and Ashmead Nedd, with the latter taking the wickets of Brandon King and Kirk McKenzie to leave the Tallahwahs reeling at 31-2 at the end of the powerplay. When spinner George Linde took two wickets in successive deliveries in the following over, the Tallawahs found themselves in crisis at 34-4. 

However Raymon Reifer, Shamar Springer and Fabian Allen would all contribute with runs for the remainder of the innings, as the Tallawahs scored 72 runs from the final 5 overs to reach 178/7. The Patriots fell behind the over rate and were given a red card for the final over, with Cariah leaving the field.   

The Patriots lost their experienced openers Evin Lewis and Andre Fletcher in the PowerPlay,  while big hitters Will Smeed and Sherfane Rutherford would lose their wickets shortly afterwards, with Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim bowling superbly. Yannic Cariah would score 65 off just 40 balls, his highest score in T20 cricket, but it was to be in vain as the Patriots were bowled out for 119, ending their CPL campaign with a 59 run loss.

Jamaica Tallawahs return to CPL action tomorrow morning where they will be taking on the Saint Lucia Kings.

Harry Swindells struck an unbeaten century as Leicestershire held off Liam Dawson’s late fightback to end their 38-year wait for a List-A trophy with a dramatic two-run win over Hampshire in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup final at Trent Bridge.

Swindells and Sam Evans rescued the Foxes after winning the toss and slipping to 19 for four and 89 for six, hitting 117 and 60 respectively in a 151-run seventh-wicket partnership that propelled their side to 267 for seven.

Leicestershire appeared in pole position when Tom Prest departed for 51 to leave Hampshire 136 for five, only for Joe Weatherley and Dawson to add 82 and give the 2018 champions a chance of another title.

Weatherley was dismissed for 40, leaving Dawson with the responsibility to get his side home, but the England all-rounder was out for 57 in the final over to Josh Hull as Hampshire failed to get eight off the last six balls.

Leicestershire were in disarray inside seven overs as they found themselves four wickets down after Keith Barker struck three times.

Skipper Lewis Hill tried his best to steady the ship, hitting 42 off 57 balls, but his departure to Scott Currie left Leicestershire in danger of buckling.

Swindells, making his first appearance in the competition this season, and Evans prevented that with their game-changing 26-over alliance, leaving Hampshire with something to think about at the halfway stage.

The pressure increased with the loss of two early wickets, including captain Nick Gubbins run out, with Prest and Ben Brown then sharing 79.

Leicestershire breathed new life into their victory bid by picking up three wickets – Brown, Aneurin Donald and Prest – for just 19 runs.

The game turned yet again courtesy of Weatherley and Dawson, who took the total down to 40 off five overs and then eight off the last, after Chris Wright conceded just three off the penultimate set of six.

But Hull held his nerve at the death, removing Dawson with the fourth delivery, to bowl the Foxes to victory.

Jason Roy faces an anxious wait over his World Cup spot after England captain Jos Buttler admitted the selectors would need to “regroup” and “let the dust settle” before finalising their squad.

Roy, a key part of the side that won the global crown on home turf four years ago, was named in the provisional squad last month and his long established opening partnership with Jonny Bairstow appeared to be inked in for next month’s tournament in India.

But the landscape has shifted quickly, with Roy suffering back spasms that ruled him out of all four ODIs against New Zealand – a series effectively planned as a fine-tuning exercise before the competition.

In his absence Dawid Malan has made a compelling case to take his spot in the first-choice XI, reeling off 277 runs at an average of 92.33 with a strike-rate of 105.72 and signing off with a superb Lord’s century.

With the versatile Harry Brook hovering in the background after surprisingly being cut from the initial list, Roy’s fitness issues could hardly have come at a worse time.

England are expected to formalise their picks next week, ahead of the September 28 deadline, but Buttler has reiterated head coach Matthew Mott’s suggestion that will be no formality.

Brook already has a place in a much-changed squad to face Ireland and Roy may be asked to join it to prove his form and fitness. For both men, the stakes are high in the coming days.

Asked if the final 15 was now set in stone after a 3-1 win over the Black Caps, Buttler offered a single, telling word in reply.

“Nope,” he said. Expanding on the subject, and Roy’s status, he added: “Obviously it changes and now you can let the dust settle on the series.

“We just have to find out (how he is). The biggest frustration for him is he wants to be fit and playing, affecting games of cricket for England. He’s been working really hard to be fit and available but we now have a few days where we can regroup – the coach, the captain, the selectors – and just work out exactly what we need to do moving forward.

“You don’t want to risk anything but at the same time you do want guys to play cricket. That’s our job, to play cricket and we all want to play.”

Roy’s status is complicated by his long tenure in the side. He was a key pillar of England’s white-ball revolution from 2015 and has played more ODIs in the last four years than anyone else, with 32.

Yet his output has diminished over the same period – with an average of 42.79 up to the 2019 final dropping to 31.78 in the aftermath.

England are not averse to ruthlessness, axing Roy on the eve of last year’s T20 tournament and going on to claim the trophy, but are wrestling with their commitment to their core players.

“We’ve tried to be a really loyal team and selection panel throughout. It’s something Eoin Morgan and Trevor Bayliss (former captain and coach) started, right at the start,” explained Buttler.

“If you ask people to play in an aggressive way then leave them out as soon as it goes wrong, it sends the wrong message. We’re asking people to take risks, so there will be failures along the way.

“We’ve reaped the rewards of been consistent with selection, so certainly you take whole picture in. You can’t just pick a World Cup squad from these four games because there’s a lot of thought and process that goes into looking into people as a whole.

“That’s been one of the hallmarks of selection but I think we can find out all the information over the next few days if we need to and make what will always be a really tough decision.

“We’re blessed with so many good cricketers in the white-ball game at the moment but in a World Cup, you can only take 15.”

Jofra Archer, another member of the 2019 group, is still under consideration as a travelling reserve as he comes back from another injury-ruined season but Buttler urged caution where the 28-year-old was concerned.

“He’s been out of the game for a while. He’s had his elbow and his back [injuries] and he’s still a young man who’s got a lot of cricket ahead of him,” he said.

“So there’s a massive duty of care to make sure that he’s fully fit for the rest of his career. It’s obviously exciting to see him in an England tracksuit and bowling, he’s a superstar. But we’ll find out more over time.”

Adam Zampa claimed an unwanted record while Travis Head gave Australia a World Cup injury concern as they were thrashed by 164 runs in the fourth one-day international against South Africa.

Zampa bowled 10 wicketless overs for 113 – equalling the worst figures in an ODI, held by fellow Australian Mick Lewis – as Heinrich Klaasen propelled South Africa to their third-highest total.

Klaasen smashed 174 of just 83 balls as the hosts posted 416-5 at Centurion to level the five-match series 2-2, having lost the opening two.

Of greater concern for Australia will be the injury to opener Head, who retired hurt three balls after being hit on the left hand by Gerald Coetzee.

Australia coach Andrew McDonald confirmed x-rays had shown a fracture with the World Cup just three weeks away.

McDonald said: “He’s going to go in for some more scans tomorrow to work out the detail of (the injury) and then we’ll work out the management from there. How long that (recovery) time frame is, we’re yet to determine.”

Australia already have injury concerns over Pat Cummins, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell, while Cameron Green was concussed in the first game of the series.

Klaasen described his assault, which included 13 fours and 13 sixes, as “one of my better ones”.

He was caught on the boundary off the final ball of the innings, ending a stand of 222 with David Miller who smashed an unbeaten 82 from 45. Rassie van der Dussen also hit 65.

Michael Neser was the only Australian bowler to go for under seven runs an over, Zampa conceding nine of the 20 sixes hit by the hosts

Australia’s reply never really got going, wicketkeeper Alex Carey the only batter to face more than 25 balls but he was last man out for 99 as Australia were dismissed for 252.

Dawid Malan is heading back to babysitting duty a satisfied man after silencing his World Cup sceptics.

Malan hit a wonderful 127 as England sealed a 3-1 one-day international series win over New Zealand at Lord’s, just six days after the birth of his second child, also named Dawid.

The 36-year-old took Sunday’s game in Southampton off to spend time with his newly expanded family but, aware that there were no guarantees over his provisional place at next month’s tournament, declined the offer of extended paternity leave.

Instead, he returned to make 96 at the Kia Oval on Tuesday and followed up at the home of cricket with his fifth one-day century in just 21 appearances – a joint national record with Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott.

Those two knocks, as well as a half-century in the series opener, saw him named player of the series and turned speculation over his role in the squad into talk of him breaking into the first-choice XI.

For Malan, that is mission accomplished as he heads back home to reunite with his new arrival.

“They (England) were really good, they always gave me the option to stay at home if I wanted to but, speaking to my wife, we felt it was the right thing to come back and try to push for this,” he said after leading his side to a 100-run win.

“It was ‘score some runs, secure the spot for that World Cup’. Thankfully it’s come off and I think I’m on babysitting duties in the morning when I turn up!”

Malan was clearly happy to remove the notional question marks next to his name, but made it clear that any doubters were coming from outside the camp.

For a player who now boasts an average of an average of 61.52 and a strike-rate of 96.52 in the 50-over format, the 36-year-old could be forgiven for taking on his detractors.

“I need to be careful, I’m probably going to give another good headline here,” he joked.

“It is satisfying, from my point of view, to be able to silence some people who’ve always got some negative things to say – but that’s part of the game. My job is to score runs and, as long as I can keep doing that, hopefully I can keep the support inside the changing room.

“I’ve always felt backed by the guys who matter inside there. There was a little bit of noise around leading up but that’s that’s part of being a professional cricketer. Until you’re on the plane you never really know if you’re on it or not.

“I guess when you try and break into a team as good as this white-ball team has been – with (Joe) Root, (Ben) Stokes, (Jonny) Bairstow, (Jason) Roy, (Jos) Buttler – it’s incredibly tough and you have to score runs. That’s just the territory: you either have to be an absolute freak or you have to be so consistent to keep your name in the hat.

“I’ve had to be the consistent one and thankfully I’ve been able to do that.”

Malan’s chance at the top of the order came at the expense of long-term incumbent Roy, who missed all four games against New Zealand with back spasms.

England will continue to monitor him before they submit their final World Cup squad next week, with the possibility that he will be added to the second-string side due to face Ireland in a three-game series to check his fitness.

Dawid Malan’s series-clinching century against New Zealand pushed him into pole position to open in England’s World Cup defence next month, as question marks continued to linger over Jason Roy.

Roy was once again missing due to back spasms, meaning he has been sidelined for all four games against the Black Caps, and Malan produced a gem of an innings to lay claim to his top-order spot.

He made a superb 127 from 114 balls at his old home ground of Lord’s, steering England to a score of 311 for nine that the tourists never came close to matching.

They succumbed for 211, going down by exactly 100 on the night and 3-1 overall, as Moeen Ali spun his way to figures of four for 50.

It is only a matter of days since Malan was being floated as a potential fall-guy should Harry Brook find himself parachuted into the squad for the tournament in India, but he has picked his moment expertly, following knocks of 54 and 96 with his fifth ODI ton.

Now, rather than finding himself squeezed out of the trip entirely, he seems likelier to slide into the first-choice XI.

Roy, England’s long-established opener, was left kicking his heels in the dressing room once more and may now be sweating over his place. He was one of the stars of England’s 2019 triumph but his fitness issues have emerged at the worst possible time as the final squad announcement nears.

Captain Jos Buttler, who admitted at the toss that Roy is frustrated by his struggles, suggested England could add the Surrey man to a second-string side that faces Ireland next week in a bid to get him up and running.

His absence opened the door for Malan and he played his part impeccably, scoring 14 boundaries and three sixes as he occupied the crease for 40 overs with a combination of touch and timing that eluded his team-mates. When he finally departed, reaching for a cut and nicking Rachin Ravindra, it was an ill-fitting end.

By then he had eased past 1,000 ODI runs in his 21st appearance – claiming a share of Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott’s joint record. With an average of 61.52 and a strike-rate of 96.52, he has a formidable track record by any reckoning.

England rested Ben Stokes after the exertions of his record-breaking 182 on Wednesday evening but Brook was unable to make a go of his chance at number four, allowing Roy some respite.

Brook was dismissed for 10 when he hit a Ravindra drag down straight to mid-on and, with 37 from his three outings this series, has failed to amplify his case. Joe Root’s struggle for rhythm also continued, twice dropped in single figures before losing his stump for 29 aiming a slog sweep at Ravindra, who finished with four for 60.

Tim Southee paid a heavy price for his handling error in the 14th over, leaving the field for X-rays which revealed a fractured and dislocated right thumb. Like Roy, his World Cup place now hangs in the air.

Buttler was the best of the rest for England, chipping in a lively 36, before New Zealand took five for 68 in a busy final 10.

Just 48 hours earlier New Zealand had fallen short by a massive margin of 181 batting second and would have been eager to show greater resolve this time.

England, though, refused to let them into the game. Buttler took care of the dangerous Devon Conway in the fifth over, flinging off his right glove and running the opener out with an opportunistic effort behind the stumps, then held on to Will Young as David Willey found an outside.

Having failed to bring the required power to the powerplay, and with news of Southee’s fractured thumb emerging, an air of resignation appeared to take hold. Twice in a row a Buttler bowling change paid off in the first over, Brydon Carse firing one into Daryl Mitchell’s off stump with a nipping delivery approaching 90mph and Moeen darting an off-break down the slope and right through Tom Latham.

At 88 for four, and with two injured tailenders, it looked like game over. Ravindra completed a productive evening in north London by smashing 61 from number seven, but by then Moeen had already done enough.

He had Henry Nicholls lbw thanks to Buttler’s insistence on calling for DRS, then picked off Kyle Jamieson and Matt Henry with successive deliveries. Ben Lister defied a hamstring strain to block the hat-trick before Sam Curran ended Ravindra’s spree with a yorker.

“Calypso cricket” is what head coach of the West Indies Women’s team, Shane Deitz, wants his team to play going forward.

The Australian 47-year-old, who was appointed in July this year, believes that the West Indies will have to play a more attacking brand of cricket to compete with the best teams in the world.

“The brand of cricket I want us to play is definitely the traditional West Indian ‘calypso’ brand of attacking, taking it to the opposition and getting on the front foot. It’s the way I’ve always coached cricket around the world and that’s not going to change here,” Deitz said in a press conference on Tuesday.

“It’s a style of play that I think is effective so the players will definitely be getting the message that we’re here to win and we’re going to win by playing attacking, free-flowing cricket,” he added.

The former Vanuatu and Netherlands Women head coach believes the implementation of this new philosophy will take time, but will be worth it in the end.

“It may take a little bit of time to really adjust to or a few skillset upgrades in players but we’ll work towards that so they’ve got the ability to play that style of cricket and I think that’s the most successful brand of cricket around the world,” he said.

“Australia play it at the moment in women’s cricket and are consistently getting over 300 in ODIs and 160 to 180 in T20Is so we’re definitely going to follow that method and play that style of cricket and play the Caribbean way,” added Deitz.

Deitz will get his first opportunity to see the team in a competitive outing when they embark on a tour of Australia for three ODIs and three T20Is from September 30-October 14.

He says this will be a great opportunity to see some of the players first-hand against some world-class opposition.

“I’ve only been here for the WCPL to see them live so I think this tour to Australia will be a great opportunity for me to see the players first-hand against the world’s best and a team that has dominated women’s cricket around the world,” he said.

“This is a great test for us and a way for me to see the reality of where we’re at, what we need to work on and what areas we need to improve so we can formulate a long-term plan to work on players to get them up to that world class, elite level and challenge Australia, England and India who have been challenging for World Cups,” Deitz added.

As for the nucleus of his team going forward, Deitz pointed to current skipper Hayley Matthews, former captain Stafanie Taylor and all-rounder, Chinelle Henry.

“Obviously we’ve got a few players who are near the top of the world rankings with Hayley (Matthews) and Stafanie (Taylor). (Chinelle) Henry is also showing signs of being an elite level cricketer,” he said.

Dawid Malan pushed himself into pole position to open for England at next month’s World Cup, carrying the side with a superb century in the final ODI against New Zealand.

With Jason Roy once again missing due to back spasms, Malan continued to make the most of his unexpected opportunity at the top of the order with 127 off 114 balls in a total of 311 for nine at Lord’s.

The 36-year-old, who became a father for the second time last week, also made 96 at the Kia Oval on Tuesday and 54 in the series opener in Cardiff.

Only a matter of days ago Malan was being talked about as a potential fall-guy should Harry Brook be parachuted into the final 15 for the tournament in India, but he has picked his moment expertly and instead appears to have built a compelling case to gatecrash the first XI.

Roy, meanwhile, was left kicking his heels in the dressing room once more and may now be sweating over his own place on the plane. He was one of the stars of England’s 2019 triumph but his fitness issues have emerged at the worst possible time and captain Jos Buttler admitted at the toss that England may look to add him to the second-string side that takes on Ireland next week in a bid to get him back in the saddle.

Malan played his part outstandingly, scoring 14 boundaries and three sixes as he occupied the crease for 40 overs and displayed a combination of touch and timing that eluded his team-mates.

Along the way he eased past 1,000 ODI runs in his 21st appearance – a joint record alongside Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott. He has now reached three figures five times in that period, averaging 61.52 at strike-rate of 96.52 – a formidable track record by any reckoning.

England rested Ben Stokes after the exertions of his record-breaking 182 on Tuesday evening and his presence was missed in the middle order, Brook stepping in at number four but failing to crank up the pressure on Roy any further.

He was dismissed for 10 when he hit a Rachin Ravindra drag down straight to mid-on and boasts a modest 37 from his three outings this series. Joe Root’s struggle for rhythm also continued, twice dropped in single figures before losing his stump for 29 aiming a slog sweep at Ravindra, who finished with four for 60.

Buttler was the best of the rest, chipping in a lively 36, with New Zealand taking five for 68 in a busy final 10 overs.

The Saint Lucia Kings confirmed their place in the 2023 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Playoffs following a comfortable seven wicket victory over the Guyana Amazon Warriors.

The Amazon Warriors won the toss and opted to bat first and it was a decision that was to backfire as the innings never really got going until the final five overs. Despite some late power hitting the Amazon Warriors could only post 167-5 which appeared subpar at first glance.

That proved to be correct as the Saint Lucia Kings confirmed that by chasing down the 168 to win with 15 balls remaining.

Earlier the Amazon Warriors suffered a slow start as Matthew Nandu was run out for three inside the PowerPlay and that setback contributed to the Warriors only reaching 35-1 at the end of the initial six overs.

That sedate start was difficult for the home side to overcome as the CPL’s top run scorer, Saim Ayub, fell for 16 in the ninth over with the score on 50-2.

However, Shai Hope and Azam Khan then Khan and Shimron Hetmyer helped rebuild the innings before late fireworks from Keemo Paul and Romario Shepherd ensured 72 runs were added in the final five overs to set the Kings 168 to win.

That 168 proved to be well under par as the Kings made easy work of the chase.

Although Johnson Charles fell for one in the second over that was to be as good as it got for the Amazon Warriors as Colin Munro and Bhanuka Rajapaksa put on a devastating partnership of 132 runs from 82 balls.

Rajapaksa holed out for 86 to deep mid-wicket and Munro followed shortly after for 55, but the job was done. It allowed Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza to see the chase home with three overs remaining.

The win ensures the Kings qualify for the playoffs with one game to spare.

Scores: Saint Lucia Kings 170-3 (Rajapaksa 86, Munro 55; Shepherd 1-15, Tahir 1-34) beat Guyana Amazon Warriors 167-5 (Khan 40, Hope 38; Joseph 2-31, Raza 1-14) by seven wickets.

Nat Sciver-Brunt reflected with pride on her record-breaking century as England brought the curtain down on their summer in barnstorming fashion by thrashing Sri Lanka.

On her 100th ODI and captaining the side in the absence of the unwell Heather Knight, Sciver-Brunt demonstrated a masterclass in controlled aggression to peel off a stunning 66-ball hundred.

It was the fastest ton in a women’s ODI by an England batter – eclipsing Charlotte Edwards’ 70-ball effort from March 2012 – as the hosts prevailed by a whopping 161 runs to seal a 2-0 series win.

Sciver-Brunt holed out for 120 off 74 balls, her third three-figure score in her last four ODI innings, having helped England draw a gripping multi-format Ashes series with back-to-back hundreds in July.

“I’m really happy to bat the way I did and continue with what I was doing against Australia as well,” Sciver-Brunt said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

Sciver-Brunt was rested from the preceding three T20s between the teams, where England suffered a shock defeat, but the 31-year-old has felt the benefit of some downtime in a hectic summer programme.

She has been managing a knee problem for several months and played in this series as a specialist batter but anticipates returning to all-rounder duties on England’s tour of India before Christmas.

“The decision not to bowl post-Ashes was more to give the body a bit of a rest,” she said. “I’m looking forward to picking up the ball again. I want to influence games as much as I can.

“That’s the best part of being an all-rounder and fielding for 50 overs and not really being able to influence with the ball was a little bit frustrating but I was happy to have the body break for that.

“When we play so much cricket through the summer, we probably don’t need to train too many things, just be right in the mind and body and hopefully continue that mindset that I had (in the Ashes).”

England were bogged down by Sri Lanka’s spinners in the T20s when batting first and may have feared the worst when Tammy Beaumont and Alice Capsey were dismissed early in a match reduced to 31 overs per side at Grace Road because of rain that led to the start time being pushed back by more than three hours.

But Sciver-Brunt exhibited why she is so instrumental, taking on the coterie of off-spinners and slow left-armers, punching with aplomb off the back foot and displaying her full range with fluid drives, pulls, sweeps and one scoop for 18 fours and a single six.

Maia Bouchier, featuring in just her third ODI and in her second innings in the format, provided ample support with 95 off only 65 balls.  The 24-year-old opener crashed a dozen fours and two sixes in a 193-run stand from just 121 deliveries with Sciver-Brunt.

“She’s a fantastic player,” England head coach Jon Lewis said of his stand-in captain.

“It’s the calmness she brings – and I thought we saw that in abundance here. The calmness she brought to Maia in a situation when we were 18 for two, she’s come out with an authority.”

Sciver-Brunt was the first to three figures but Bouchier could have made sure her team-mate’s record lasted just a few minutes had she dispatched her 65th ball for six, only to be trapped lbw.

“I was absolutely gutted for her that she didn’t score a hundred because I know that when she does score a hundred, she’ll score a lot of hundreds,” Lewis added. “She’s incredibly talented.”

Sciver-Brunt and Bouchier underpinned a mammoth 273 for eight, a total which would have stretched Sri Lanka in a regulation 50-over game and the tourists were never in contention in the chase.

They capitulated to 112 all out in 24.5 overs, as Charlie Dean claimed five for 31, her maiden five-wicket haul for England which the off-spinner recognised was built on Sciver-Brunt’s stunning knock.

“She’s the best all-rounder in the world, the best batter,” Dean said. “She brings a lot to the team, she definitely elevates us with her standards alone.

“I guess she goes under the radar with her leadership – she’s so calm. We have so many players that can do similar but there’s only one Nat Sciver-Brunt.”

Stand-in captain Nat Sciver-Brunt marked her 100th ODI with a record-breaking century as England thumped Sri Lanka to wrap up their summer in scintillating fashion.

Deputising for an under-the-weather Heather Knight, Sciver-Brunt gave a masterclass in controlled aggression as she flayed a 66-ball hundred – the fastest in women’s ODIs by an England batter.

After eclipsing the previous best off 70 balls by Charlotte Edwards against New Zealand in March 2012, Sciver-Brunt made 120 from 74 deliveries before England prevailed by 161 runs for a 2-0 series win.

Her record would only have stood for a couple of minutes if Maia Bouchier had hit her 65th ball for six but she was lbw for 95, ending a boundary-laden 193-run stand in 121 deliveries with Sciver-Brunt.

Their efforts underpinned England’s mammoth 273 for eight in a contest reduced to 31 overs each because of a rain-delayed start at Grace Road, with Charlie Dean’s five for 31 hastening Sri Lanka’s demise to 112 all out in a doomed pursuit.

Bouchier and Sciver-Brunt came together after England had lurched to 18 for two, with Tammy Beaumont edging a wild heave to slip before a flat-footed Alice Capsey saw her stumps disturbed by a Udeshika Prabodhani inswinger.

With Sri Lanka’s coterie of spinners still to bowl, England might have feared the worst in their final outing of their summer programme.

They laboured when batting first against Sri Lanka’s slower options in a shock defeat in the preceding T20 series, but Sciver-Brunt was rested for those matches and she exhibited why she is regarded as one of the best batters against spin in the women’s game.

After taking two singles from her first seven deliveries, Sciver-Brunt settled into her stride with one of several back-foot punches through cover off Inoka Ranaweera before larruping through midwicket to bring up England’s 50 and then shimmying down to the slow left-armer and elegantly driving for six.

Opposite number Chamari Athapaththu rotated her options but the spinners offered very little threat and no containment, with all of them going at more than 10 an over when Bouchier and Sciver-Brunt batted.

Sciver-Brunt drove, pulled and swept expertly, scooping once, going proficiently through the gears as she brought up her third ton in four ODI innings, reaching the milestone in understated fashion as she nudged seamer Achini Kulasuriya off her pads for a single.

Bouchier offered ample support. This was just her second ODI innings but she matched Sciver-Brunt blow for blow, registering a dozen fours and two sixes, having benefited from Emma Lamb’s continued absence with a back spasm.

Her timing was excellent as she effortlessly whipped left-armer Prabodhani and fellow seamer Hansima Karunaratne over the leg-side fence, while she was also fluent driving down the ground and pulling across the line.

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After three successive fours off Oshadi Ranasinghe, Bouchier might have been stumped on 55 when she overbalanced against the off-spinner but wicketkeeper Anushka Sanjeewani fumbled the take.

Bouchier was eventually out five short of a maiden hundred after playing all around one from Kavisha Dilhari, but the opener’s innings went some way to justifying England giving their fringe players a chance in this series.

Sciver-Brunt had not offered so much of a sniff in compiling the sixth fastest ODI century in the women’s game but her stay, containing 18 fours and a six, ended when she holed out to long-off off Ranaweera.

Her departure marked the start of England losing five wickets in their last 32 balls although debutant Bess Heath’s cameo 21 off 14 deliveries helped them add 50 to a monumental total that would have stretched Sri Lanka in a regulation 50-over game.

Having amassed 106 for nine in Tuesday’s abandonment at Northampton and been skittled for an identical total in a seven-wicket defeat at Chester-le-Street on Saturday, Sri Lanka simply never got going.

Lauren Filer continued her excellent summer by uprooting Sanjeewani’s middle stump and castling Imesha Dulani. Teenage left-arm seamer Mahika Gaur, recalled after being rested at Wantage Road, located the outside edge of Harshitha Samarawickrama before Charlie Dean ran amok.

Unperturbed at being thrashed for two fours in her first over, Dean invited another swipe from Athapaththu, who missed a slog sweep and fell lbw to the off-spinner for the second match in a row.

The Sri Lanka captain was the big wicket and any faint hope disappeared with her although Dean still rubberstamped the win by snaring Karunaratne, Hasini Perera and Dilhari in the same over.

A maiden five-for in England colours was assured when Prabodhani dragged on and Sri Lanka quickly subsided in 24.5 overs.

Stand-in captain Nat Sciver-Brunt marked a landmark appearance with the quickest women’s one-day international century by an England batter against Sri Lanka at Grace Road.

On her 100th ODI, Sciver-Brunt led England in the absence of ill Heather Knight and thrashed a 66-ball hundred, beating the record held by Charlotte Edwards off 70 deliveries against New Zealand in 2012.

Her record might have lasted only a few minutes but Maia Bouchier, unbeaten on 95 off 64 balls at the time Sciver-Brunt reached three figures, fell lbw when a six would have seen her set a new benchmark.

The pair put on a boundary-laden 193 in 121 balls to lift England to a mammoth 273 for eight in a contest reduced to 31 overs per side because of a rain delay that pushed back the start time more than three hours.

In the final match of their summer programme, England, leading 1-0, slipped to 18 for two in the fifth over but it was one-way traffic from then on as Bouchier and Sciver-Brunt starred.

Sri Lanka’s coterie of spinners came in for sustained punishment as Sciver-Brunt, who eventually holed out for 120 off 74 balls, and Bouchier, in just her second ODI innings, routinely took them on.

England got off to a false start as Tammy Beaumont, having been put down at midwicket in the previous over, edged a wild heave to slip while a flat-footed Alice Capsey was undone when left-arm seamer Udeshika Prabodhani nipped through her defences.

However, Bouchier, who had already expertly timed Prabodhani over the leg-side fence, then unfurled two glorious drives for four to ignite England’s charge, with the end of the six-over powerplay and introduction of the spinners working to their advantage.

Sciver-Brunt’s ability to stay back in her crease but pierce the off-field gaps was frequently exploited while she brought up England’s 50 with a whip off Inoka Ranaweera for four before shimmying down to the slow armer and elegantly driving for six.

Chamari Athapaththu frequently rotated her slow bowlers but they erred in line and length too often with no one able to stymie either Sciver-Brunt or Bouchier, who bludgeoned a free hit off seamer Hansima Karunaratne’s only over for six.

England’s 100 was brought up in the 13th over but, after thumping Oshadi Ranasinghe for three successive fours, Bouchier overbalanced and should have been stumped on 55 but Anushka Sanjeewani was unable to gather cleanly.

Sciver-Brunt missed a pull on 96 off a delivery that skidded on and kept low from Prabodhani as Athapaththu belatedly brought back her quicker bowlers, but the deputy England skipper went to her 100 in the next over, nudging Kulasuriya off her pads for a single.

Bouchier missed a hoick across the line and was given lbw, wisely electing against a review, but later in the over, Sciver-Brunt took three consecutive fours off Dilhari.

Sciver-Brunt slammed Ranaweera to long-off with 5.1 overs still left, with England losing five wickets for 40 at the end of their innings, although they were still able to get to a formidable total.

Chris Woakes says Ben Stokes’ record-breaking 182 gave England a timely reminder of what they can achieve with his “superhuman” skills.

Stokes was in rampant form against New Zealand on Wednesday, making the country’s highest ever ODI score in just his third innings since reversing his year-long retirement from the format.

With England’s World Cup defence less than three weeks away it was a perfect way for the man who carried them to victory in the 2019 final to prove his sense of occasion once again.

Stokes has nothing left to prove on the big stage but watching him bully England’s first World Cup opponents with nine sixes and 15 fours sent a wave of energy through the dressing room.

England went on to wrap up victory by a huge margin of 181 runs, another reminder that when he is in the side, the whole team walks a little taller.

“We obviously see Ben as this superhuman that can do incredible things. We know he can,” said Woakes, who picked up the baton with three early wickets in the field.

“It was great for the group and brilliant for Ben too. He’s an unbelievable cricketer but coming back into the team having retired, it will do his confidence a world of good.

“We always have doubts and performance anxieties at the best of times, so it’s great for his confidence and great for the team’s confidence and belief that we can post huge scores.

“It was amazing to be here and play in the game because that was an incredible knock.

“He struck it cleaner than anyone else out there. It just shows how good a player he is.”

Since walking away from 50-over cricket last summer citing workload issues, Stokes has poured his energies into his role as Test captain.

Working closely with head coach Brendon McCullum, he has revitalised the red-ball set-up, flipping their fortunes in dramatic fashion and playing out a thrilling drawn Ashes series that gripped the nation.

Woakes feels that stepping back into the ranks under Jos Buttler’s leadership, and operating as a specialist batter rather than all-action all-rounder, is a good thing for Stokes.

“I think him coming back into this team is probably a refreshing feeling for him, without the captaincy on his shoulders. To run the England Test team is a tough job,” he said.

“He’s probably seen this as a breath of fresh air, to play his natural game and be his natural person, which he always does.

“This group of players who have been around this team for a long time, always feel comfortable when we come back together.”

England’s World Cup squad has one more game together before departing for India, wrapping up their clash with the Black Caps at Lord’s on Friday.

There is hope that Jason Roy and Mark Wood will be fit for selection, with both sidelined for each of the last three matches. Roy has been laid low twice by back spasms and Wood has been kept in cotton well since ending the Ashes with a heel problem.

Roy, in particular, will be eager to feel bat on ball. Dawid Malan made 96 at opener on Wednesday to position himself as a viable alternative and Harry Brook continues to linger as a possible replacement should Roy’s fitness continue to raise questions.

“I think he’s hopeful. This close to a World Cup it’s a bit of a risk to throw him into a game when you’re unsure as to how he’s going to go,” said Woakes.

“Fingers crossed he’s alright. I’m sure he’s desperate to get out there and I’m sure he’s frustrated as well.

“Pre-World Cup you want to get a bit of form behind you and play as many games as possible but he’s a resilient character; the lads have got around him and I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

Despite a heroic 157 not out from Jordan Johnson, the West Indies U19s lost by seven wickets to Sri Lanka U19 in the second Youth Test at Dambulla on Thursday.