England Woman sealed a four-match ODI whitewash after they beat Sri Lanka by 162 runs in Colombo.
England were made to wait 24 hours before they romped to their sixth consecutive series win of the year, after spin duo Laura Marsh and Danielle Hazell took seven wickets between them to skittle Sri Lank for 78.
After the decision by umpires to abandon play due to rain, the tourists started the reserve day defending a score of 240, indebted to 77 from Natalie Sciver and a lower contribution from Hazell (25).
England bowled the hosts out in 33.1 overs with Marsh (pictured above) spearheading the spinning incursion with figures of four for 21 – amidst her 100th wicket – while Hazell collected career-best ODI figures of 3-21.
England Head Coach, Mark Robinson said: “Since the beginning the players have given it everything, which has been fantastic, I couldn’t have asked them for any more.
“As a group, we’ve come a long way, a lot has happened, and of course there have been a few bumps along the way, but overall we really feel that we are moving in the right direction, which is the most important thing.
“I said from the start that we would only really know where we are as a team after a year, and I’m confident that we are on the right track
“We want to be more resilient, more professional, and the clinical nature of our performance in the third ODI of this series against Sri Lanka showed how far we have come in that respect.
“The emergence of Heather Knight as the new leader of the team has been exciting to watch. With every match and every series she is getting better and better. As a captain and a player she gives it absolutely everything, and I am proud of everything she has done in such a short space of time.
England leave the sub-continent having secured automatic qualification for the 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup, starting June 26 in Derbyshire.
“The objective for next year is of course to win the ICC Women’s World Cup, it’s why we play the game,” added Robinson.
“Whether we are quite ready to do so as a young group, is a different matter, but our first dream is to win it and we will do everything we can to live that dream.”
Derby will host eight ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 fixtures next summer – and 2017 Members will be able to purchase tickets at a special discounted price.
Join your county cricket club today. The Club has reduced its price and simplified its categories to offer one single Club Membership at only £139, if purchased before 1 February Early Bird deadline.
