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England bounced back from the T20I series loss with a resounding win in the opening ODI match against Sri Lanka by seven wickets here at the Riverside Ground on Saturday.
Debutants Mahika Gaur and Lauren Filer starred with the ball, taking three wickets apiece while leg-spinner Sarah Glenn bagged three to bundle out Sri Lanka for 106 in just 30.2 of their allotted 50 overs. Chasing a small target of 106, England cruised to a win in just 18 overs. Maia Bouchier hit a flurry of crisp shots to the fence, including one that brought up the winning run. England's first boundary didn't come until the sixth over when Emma Lamb swatted four over midwicket before flinging the following ball through the covers for another. Lamb and Tammy Beaumont quickly sped through to a fifty-stand to conclude the ninth over as soon as the floodgates opened. However, Tammy Beaumont (32) soon succumbed, edging the first ball of the 11th over from Inoka Ranaweera to slip, and Lamb (27) fell at mid-off while attempting to loft Oshadi Ranasinghe over the top. England's troubles against spin continued to be slightly exposed as Heather Knight (22) departed an over early, gloving one from Dilhari behind to the wicketkeeper. However, six balls later, Bouchier calmly guided the hosts to the most comprehensive of victories. England won the toss and opted to bowl first. On a beautiful, sunny day in the northeast, the weather appeared to be ideal for batting, but Sri Lanka lost both openers early as Gaur had an outstanding debut for England in ODIs. The dangerous Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu (10) and her partner Anushka Sanjeewani (5) were both removed by the left-arm seamer. Following the end of the opening powerplay, Glenn promptly lbw pinned Vishmi Gunaratne (9) before Filer stormed through the middle of the order, her quickness and shorter length being too much to manage. (ANI)
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