Women’s World Cup 2025: England aim to build momentum with win over Sri Lanka

Although the matches against Sri Lanka and Pakistan will be straightforward for England as they look to continue their winning streak, they could be decisive in the upcoming back-to-back matches against India and Australia.

England beat South Africa in a tough opener, avoided a scare against Bangladesh and now have a golden opportunity to ensure they go into these matches unbeaten against the pre-tournament favourites.

But they will have to contend with spin-friendly conditions in Colombo on Saturday and opener Tammy Beaumont said the nature of the pitches had reduced the gap between the teams.

“Every match in this World Cup is big. Bangladesh played very well against us and Sri Lanka will be tough at home,” he told BBC Sport.

“The circumstances oblige all teams to do this, so it is very important that we continue to play well.

“We definitely feel like the fixtures are working pretty well for us, so hopefully we can keep building on that momentum and by the time we get to Indore it will be all good.”

The ground in Indore will probably be the most batting-friendly surface England will ever experience; Australia’s 326 against New Zealand will be their highest total of this World Cup.

As England’s batsmen struggled against spin against Bangladesh in Guwahati, they were not alone.

Australia’s outstanding batting depth rescued them from a mind-boggling defeat by Pakistan, rallying from 76-7 to 221-9 in Colombo, but England also proved they have a versatile attack on the surfaces.