England got their World Cup campaign off to a flyer with an 87-run win against Sri Lanka at Edgbaston on Friday evening, thanks to a thundering century from Danni Wyatt-Hodge.

This was a statement win for England, whose batting firepower has recently been questioned but who powered their way to 219 – the highest total by any team in tournament history – for the loss of just one wicket. Sri Lanka then sank to 132 all out, with Freya Kemp taking a career-best four for 22.

As expected, Amy Jones was bumped up to open alongside Wyatt-Hodge, and a stand of 135 between the pair set the tone for England's dominance. Jones was finally caught by Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu in the 14th over, but Nat Sciver-Brunt looked even more imperious, striking an unbeaten 46 from 22 balls.

The only question was whether Wyatt-Hodge would have the opportunity to reach her third T20I hundred. A nervy few minutes ensued as Sciver-Brunt unleashed back-to-back boundaries in the 20th over, with Wyatt-Hodge trapped on 97. But Sri Lanka cut off Sciver-Brunt's next boundary attempt, enabling Wyatt-Hodge to get back on strike, sweep into the gap behind square for four, and bring up her century with a ball to spare.

Wyatt-Hodge's daughter, Daisy, was born just three weeks ago, and she celebrated her ton by cradling her bat like a baby in tribute, as the Edgbaston crowd leapt to their feet in appreciation.

Wyatt-Hodge said: "I've been after that third T20 hundred for a few years now, so I'm chuffed to bits to get it. I've had a big life change over the last few weeks, so it was pretty emotional. A few of the girls said they had a few tears."

She followed it up by taking a crucial catch racing back from square leg to dismiss Athapaththu. "I thought I was going to run into Jackie [Williams], the umpire. It was really windy and blustery. I lost the ball for a couple of seconds and then managed to see it, put my hands out, and grabbed it."

With their talismanic skipper back in the dugout, Sri Lanka's innings never quite got going, reduced to 67 for five before Kemp rattled through the middle order. "I've been calling her Big Dog Kemp," Wyatt-Hodge joked. "She just keeps it simple and bowls on the stumps."

Before play began, spectators were treated to a unique opening ceremony, as a pink taxi made its way around the outfield and deposited Wicked's Elphaba and Glinda onto a stage. A live performance of Defying Gravity to almost 15,000 fans felt like a big moment for a sport that, 53 years ago, played out the first-ever World Cup final here in front of just 1,500 fans.

There was still room for some last-minute delays: first, the automated sightscreen malfunctioned; then a steward wandered into view and had to be spoken to firmly by the umpires. When cricket finally broke out, Sri Lanka's bowlers served up easy pickings, with two no-balls and 11 wides. Their debutants, Malki Madara and Mithali Ayodhya, were tonked for 51 and 40 runs respectively.

Sri Lanka coach Jamie Siddons said, "The bowlers didn't bowl the ball in the right areas. The ball was flying around everywhere. We're a better cricket team than that. We planned well, we just didn't execute anything that we wanted to do."

That included their fielding, which was also poor – Jones was dropped twice, on 12 and 48, while Sciver-Brunt was also handed a life.  Apparently, trusting your instincts, closing your eyes, and leaping does not work quite as well on the cricket field as it does in the West End.