After today’s two matches every team in the Hundred (women’s) has played seven of their eight group matches. This post looks briefly at what is going on overall.
THE TABLE IN DESCENDING ORDER
Southern Brave have won all seven of their matches thus far, giving them 28 points. Their net run rate is +1.130, though that is not relevant as they are already guaranteed a place in the final (the top three teams qualify for finals day, with second and third facing off for the right to face the league winners in the final). They have the best bowling unit in the competition, with Lauren Bell the leading wicket taker and young left arm spinner (yesterday was her 18th birthday) Tilly Corteen-Coleman being the most economical bowler in the competition and having a decent haul of wickets as well. They also have a more than adequate batting unit, and as those who have paid attention to my all time XI selections will be aware I tend to look more to bowling strength when picking winners.
Northern Superchargers have won five and lost two giving them 20 points, they have a net run rate of +1.027. They will definitely be involved in Finals Day.
London Spirit and Manchester Originals have each won four and lost three, and after todays disastrous showing against Birmingham Phoenix (facing a total of 111 they suffered a run out on the first ball of their own innings, and thing basically did not improve from there) Originals are behind Spirit on net run rate by a fraction. Also still nominally in the qualification hunt are Trent Rockets, with three wins and four losses and a just positive net run rate. If Rockets beat Phoenix by a huge margin and Spirit and Originals each lose their final game Rockets might sneak in on run rate, but no team in the history of this tournament has qualified with as few as four wins in the group stage.
Oval Invincible and Birmingham Phoenix have each won two and lost five for eight points. Invincibles have a considerably better net run rate.
Adrift at the foot of the table, with a mere one win and six defeats (and that win was achieved after their elimination was confirmed) are Welsh Fire. Fire stacked the top of their batting line up with Hayley Matthews, Sophia Dunkley and Tammy Beaumont and of the three only Dunkley has had a good season. When you rely on three players to do most of the batting and two of the three fail to deliver you will be in trouble. Fire entertained Rockets today and went down by 23 runs, which in a 100 ball a side match is a fairly hefty margin.
A BRIEF LOOK AHEAD
Brave and Superchargers are already booked in for Finals Day. Out of the two realistic other qualifiers (sorry Nottingham folks I am discounting your side for reasons that this post should already have made clear) I would expect Originals to be the ones to join them for two reasons:
- Originals face Superchargers in their final group game and Superchargers are already qualified, and will thus be a tiny bit less motivated than Originals.
- Originals will be eager to redeem themselves for today’s horror show.
- Spirit face Invincibles in their final match and in recent times the record of Lord’s based sided against Oval based sides is not in their favour (to drolly understate the case).
Anything can happen on Finals Day, but I would expect Originals to prevail over Superchargers there, setting up a final between the two sides with the best bowling units. Brave would obviously be favourites, having carried all before them this season, but that final would be one heck of a game.
PHOTOGRAPHS
My usual sign off…
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