Gaur, Filer enjoy dream debuts as England stroll to seven-wicket win

Combined with three wickets for leg-spinner Sarah Glenn and Amy Jones’ prowess behind the stumps – becoming the first England wicket keeper to take five catches in a women’s ODI innings – the duo helped bowl Sri Lanka out for 106 inside 31 overs and the home batters reeled in their paltry target for the loss of just three wickets with 32 overs to spare.

Gaur, who at just 17 has played 19 T20Is for UAE before making her England debut in the format with two matches against Sri Lanka during this tour, was handed her maiden ODI cap by retired seamer Katherine Sciver-Brunt and she honoured the changing of the guard with 3 for 26, including the prize dismissal of captain Chamari Attapaththu for just 10. Impressive quick Filer then got in on the act, snaring two wickets in two balls and three in total for figures of 3 for 27 after England won the toss.

Legspinner Glenn was England’s only front line Spinner with Sophie Ecclestone injured – although she would have been rested for the series anyhow – and off-spinner Charlie Dean overlooked. She also took 3 for 20 as Sri Lanka failed to halt their slide, sparked – and ended – by Gaur.

Gaur’s second delivery in ODI cricket resulted in five wides, a length ball to Anushka Sanjeewani swaying down the leg side and evading wicket keeper Jones’ attempt to gather. Seven dot balls followed from the tall teen, however, including a gem which shaped back past Sanjeewani’s bat and bounced over the stumps and another which beat Attapaththu’s outside edge after jagging away from an off-stump line.

Attapaththu, Sri Lanka’s captain and danger player after playing a decisive role in both her side’s T20I wins over England, chipped a low full toss over midwicket off Gaur two balls later but, at the end of her next over, Gaur snared a prize wicket with a beauty which angled in then moved away to clatter into the top of Attapaththu’s off stump, gone for just 10.

When Gaur bowled Sanjeewani with a full inswinger that smashed middle stump, her debut struck dream territory and England were off to the best start they could have hoped for, their opponents reduced to 26 for 2.

Glenn trapped Vishmi Gunaratne lbw and then Filer was brought into the attack to excellent effect. Where England had struggled against Sri Lanka’s spinners in losing the last two T20Is, the tourists had no answers for Filer’s raw pace.

Filer came on in the 14th over then struck with the third ball of her next, when she did Hasini Perera for pace and bounce, pulling back her length and brushing the glove as Jones did the rest. Then, in the 20th over, Filer claimed the back-to-back wickets of Kavisha Dilhari and Nilakshi de Silva, both caught behind

Jones also removed Harshitha Samarawickrama off Alice Capsey when England overturned umpire James Middlebrook’s not-out decision and Oshadi Ranasinghe attempting to cut a turning Glenn delivery. Then Glenn bowled Achini Kulasuriya through the gate with one that gripped the surface.

Fittingly, it was Gaur who closed out Sri Lanka’s innings with another stunning delivery that nipped into Udeshika Prabodhani, slid between bat and pad and kissed the top of leg stump.

Having twice been bowled out inside 20 overs during their defeats to Sri Lanka, England welcomed back ODI openers Tammy Beaumont and Emma Lamb to the 50-over format and the pair guided their side to 61 without loss before Beaumont fell for 32 attempting to cut Inoka Ranaweera only to find the hands of Hasini, diving low to her right at slip. Lamb was gone in the next over, chipping Ranasinghe to mid-off.

Despite Heather Knight gloving her attempted sweep off Dilhari behind with eight more runs needed, Maia Bouchier – another making her maiden ODI appearance – struck the winning runs, a four off Athapaththu through the covers to make it a day for the debutants.

Brief scores:
England 107 for 3 in 18 overs (Emma Lamb 27, Tammy Beaumont 32, Heather Knight 22; Oshadie Ranasinghe 1-30, Inoka Ranaweera 1-15, Kavisha Dilhari 1-03) beat Sri Lanka 106 in 30.2 overs (Harshitha Samarawickrama 35, Sarah Glenn 3-20, Mahika Gaur 3-26, Lauren Filer 3-27) by seven wickets