Southern Brave vs Trent Rockets at Southampton (Ageas Bowl) on 25 August (15h30)
The seventeenth women’s match of ‘The Hundred’ was billed by commentators as the first opportunity for Brave to get through to the next stage of the tournament with maximum points. Brave did this convincingly, by skittling eight of their opponent’s wickets: Rockets setting a new record for the tournament’s lowest score. Commentator Ravi Shastri (India) said that Lauren Bell (4-fer) ‘set the tone’ by taking a wicket with her second ball. *Interviewing Lauren Bell between innings, Simon Doull congratulated Lauren Bell on a ’brilliant performance.’ Bell said she was ‘really happy’ having used ‘slower balls’ and adapted her bowling plan to the conditions (of the pitch.) Awarding POTM match hero to Lauren Bell (pictured), Shastri asked about her game plan? Bell revealed on TV that she hit ‘good length’ to get batters to play ‘off their stumps.’ Match was broadcast via SKY Sports YouTube channel – please see below – with Ravi Shastri (India), Daren Sammy (WIndies), Darren Gough, Dominic Cork, Tymal Mills, and Simon Doull NZ (featuring Doull with Elyse Villani and Georgia Adams to highlight inclusivity in women’s cricket through the ‘Rainbow Laces’ equality campaign.) Social media including ESPN-cric-info and BBC Sounds ‘No Balls’ co-hosted by Alex Hartley. Weather at the Ageas Bowl stadium was described as ’nippy’ with a ‘fresh breeze’ following overnight rain. Floodlights were switched-on.
Rockets’ innings
Skipper Natalie Sciver (with Meg Lanning ‘ruled-out’) was put in to bat by Shrubsole. *Disaster struck immediately when England hopeful Bryony Smith went for a second-ball duck, caught in-the-deep by Danni Wyatt from Lauren Bell. *Marie Kelly 22(15) played a short cameo until swept aerial to off-side and was caught by diving Sophia Dunkley (avoiding a collison with skipper Shrubsole), also from Lauren Bell. *At the power play Rockets were 28/2. *Skipper Sciver and Australia’s Elyse Villani 25(25) banked 39 runs for Rockets’ third wicket until Villani was caught by Maia Bouchier. Bouchier dived from ‘cover,’ from Australia’s Amanda-Jade Wellington – her first wicket. *After 65 balls, strategic-time-out was called. *With the score on 71/3 after 75 balls, commentator Ravi Shastri said Rockets ‘needed to get a move on.’ *Looking to accelerate the score, South Africa’s Mignon duPreez hit ’six’ from Wellington. *Natalie Sciver 19(30) was stumped by Carla Rudd, going down the wicket to Wellington’s dipping ball – her second wicket. *Mignon duPreez 10(9) was short-lived, attempting a second ‘six’ but caught by Danni Wyatt walking backwards from ‘deep-mid-wicket.’ *Commentators added that Georgia Adams ‘deserved that wicket’ for bowling well. *Finding a top-edge ‘looping up-in-the-air’ from a reverse-sweep, Australia’s Alana King 1(3) was caught at ‘slip’ by Adams from Wellington – her third wicket. *Finally, Katherine Brunt and Sarah Glenn went for carbon-copy dismissals, both caught ‘comfortably’ by Wellington from Lauren Bell’s 98th and 100th balls. *Rockets last five wickets fell for just nine runs.
Brave’s Innings
*Having won the toss at her fifth attempt, Anya Shrubsole told Ravi Shastri jokingly that she’d ‘taken some advice’ from Dominic Cork. *Shrubsole was ‘committed to go one better’ than last year’s final, that she described as a ‘nightmare day.’ *Not having lost a match since then, Brave (had an appetite) to win. *Openers India’s Smriti Mandhana 57*(31) and Danni Wyatt 36*(25) chased down the meagre total with relative ease. *At the power play Brave were 32/0 (vs 28/2.) *At 60/0 (40 balls) batters scores were neck-and-neck: Mandhana 29(20); Wyatt 20(20) with 29 runs required. *Smriti went on to make her ‘fifty.’ *With scores level, Smriti Mandhana launched a final ‘six,’ said to be a ‘finishing touch’ to win the match.
Summary
Brave chalked-up the second ever win by a 10-wicket margin in the tournament’s short two-year history. Rockets set a new record low score 88/8. Previously the inaugural record was held by Phoenix vs Fire. Summing-up, commentator Ravi Shastri said that every time Rockets lost wickets every time they ‘looked to push the score along’ (needing to post a defendable score.) POTM match hero Lauren Bell made her first 4-fer (4/17) of the tournament, moving into second-place on the tournament’s bowling-leader-board with a tally of nine wickets. Australia’s Amanda-Jade Wellington remains top of the leader board (11 wickets) having made her third 3-fer (3/21) in this game (also taking two catches.) Brave’s openers Smriti Mandhana and Danni Wyatt chased down the meagre total without loss. *Commentators added that Brave’s win today guarantees a place in the qualifier, having accumulated a maximum 10 points from five games with one game remaining at the group stage.
Result: Southern Brave Women 94/0 beat Trent Rockets Women 88/8 by 10 wickets with 44 balls remaining
Rockets batting: 88/8 (from 100 balls @0.88 runs-per-ball); Elyse Villani 25(25), Marie Kelly 22(15), Natalie Sciver 19(30). Mignon duPreez 10(9); Brave bowling: Lauren Bell 4/17, Amanda-Jade Wellington 3/21, Georgia Adams 1/12; Fow 1-0, 2-28, 3-67, 4-79, 5-79, 6-82, 7-88, 8-88. Brave batting: 94/0 (from 56/100 balls @1.22 runs-per-ball; target 89) Smriti Mandhana 57*(31), Danni Wyatt 36(25).
Scorecard & Statistics at URL: https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/the-hundred-women-s-competition-2022-1299144/southern-brave-women-vs-trent-rockets-women-17th-match-1299161/full-scorecard
Match highlights free-to-air from SKY Sports YouTube [11m59] at URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbiDttNzcqk
Match video free-to-air from SKY Sports YouTube [32m16/03h28m05s] at URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FX8pdZth0Wc
