The final matches in this year’s Hundred took place yesterday. This post looks back at both matches.
SOUTHERN BRAVE V NORTHERN SUPERCHARGERS
Southern Brave recovered well from the loss of two early wickets, with Danni Wyatt playing a superb innings for them. They eventually managed 139-6 from their 100 balls, respectable rather than outstanding. Northern Superchargers struggled badly in reply. They didn’t hit very many boundaries, and they did an appallingly bad job of rotating the strike – Indian opener Jemimah Rodrigues, whose dismissal basically ended their hopes of success was out to the 73rd ball of the innings, and so badly had Superchargers failed at rotating the strike that she faced only 14 of those 73 balls. She was the only Superchargers batter scoring quickly enough to give her side a shot at chasing down the total, but her team mates simply could not get her enough of the strike. In the end Brave won by 34 runs, sending their skipper Anya Shrubsole into retirement on an appropriately high note. In 2017 Shrubsole was the star of the show when England won the World Cup final at Lord’s, where this match also took place. On that occasion Shrubsole took six Indian wickets to win England a game that looked to be going the other way for much of its duration. This time she was part of an excellent team bowling performance, and her team rarely looked anything other than 100% in control of the match. One other Brave player deserves special mention: wicket keeper Rhianna Southby, who was, as she has been for most of the tournament stellar behind the stumps. Highlights of her performance this match included three stumpings, at least one of which would have beyond most other keepers in this tournament. She is that increasingly rare player in the modern era – someone who gets picked specifically for her keeping skills – she was officially down to bat at number 10 had Brave lost that many wickets. Danni Wyatt’s sparkling 59 earned her Player of the Match, while Marizanne Kapp was named Player of the Tournament for the 147 runs and 11 wickets she managed.
OVAL INVINCIBLES V MANCHESTER ORIGINALS
This match featured one of the more astonishing turn arounds seen in a game of such short duration (long form cricket offers much more scope for truly spectacular turn arounds – check out Warwickshire v Hampshire in 1922 for a classic example). Invincibles were put into bat, no surprise given that Originals had made a chase of 196 look trivially easy only a day previously. The Invincibles were soon looking decidedly vincible, with the score reading 34-5. At that point Tom Curran joined Kiwi James Neesham and the turnaround began. This pair were still together at the end of the 100 balls, by which time they had put on 127 together, raising the total to 161-5. Tom Curran had 67* (34) to his name, and Neesham, only marginally less brutal, 57* (33). Originals made a bright start, but Invincibles’ three contrasting slow bowlers, Briggs (left arm orthodox), Sowter (leg spin) and Jacks (off spin) proved extremely hard to score off and picked up a number of wickets. Max Holden and Jamie Overton put on a good partnership for the sixth wicket, and then Tom Hartley continued the resistance in partnership with Overton, but Originals were hopelessly behind the required rate, and ended up 14 runs adrift. Tom Curran was Player of the Match, while Jamie Overton’s all round contributions (208 runs and 3 wickets across the tournament) saw him named Player of the Tournament.
PHOTOGRAPHS
I have a massive photo gallery today – I have been on two substantial walks today, and both proved bountiful sources of pictures…
aspiblog 