With the final of The Hundred (women’s competition) under way this post looks back at the the action from yesterday. Before I go into it a note about the Hundred’s qualification rules: it is an eight team league, and in order to ensure that only teams who have been provably better than average qualify for the KO stages only three teams make it through. The team who finish top of the group qualify straight into the finals, while second and third place play off for the right to join them, with second place having the advantage that if the match gets rained out they progress based on league position.
THE WOMEN’S ELIMINATOR
This match, between Welsh Fire and Northern Superchargers, was the first scheduled for yesterday. Fire batted first and had reached 104-2 from 75 balls when the weather intervened, and did not let up in time for the match to be resumed. This meant that Superchargers, having finished second in the group, joined Southern Brave in the final, the match currently being contested. It also meant that Alex Hartley’s playing career, highlighted by being part of England’s 2017 World Cup winning side came to an end. Had Fire made the final she may have had another outing, but as it happened her time as a professional cricketer ended on the bench, not having being picked for the XI.
THE MEN’S ELIMINATOR
Southern Brave had a chance to make both finals, being joined in this Eliminator by Manchester Originals, with Oval Invincibles awaiting the winners. When they scored 196-1 from their 100 balls batting first this looked more than a possibility. Phil Salt (47 off just 17 balls) and Jos Buttler (82 off 46) had other ideas, and with other useful contributions along the way Originals, who were never at any point not ahead of the required rate won by seven wickets with four balls to spare. Jamie Overton made the winning hit, a six which meant that 196 balls had seen 397 runs scored. In view of the scoring rates elsewhere the approach of Brave opener Devon Conway (51* off 38) has to be questioned. Therefore tonight’s final of The Hundred (men’s competition) will be between Manchester Originals and Southern Brave.
THE WOMEN’S FINAL
Southern Brave are batting, and after the loss of two early wickets are mounting a decent recovery – they are currently 64-2 after 54 balls, Danni Wyatt 39*, Georgia Adams 16*. They will need to up the rate, but they are in decent shape.
PHOTOGRAPHS
My usual sign off…
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