Southern Brave maintain nerve to inflict Welsh Fire’s first defeat of the Hundred
Southern Brave 145 for 8 (Dunkley 50, Ismail 2-19) beat Welsh Fire 144 for five (Bryce 44*, Adams 2-22) by 2 wickets
Southern Brave went prime of the Women’s Hundred desk by successful a last-ball thriller in opposition to Welsh Fire in entrance of a document crowd of six and a half thousand for a ladies’s sport in Cardiff.
Captain Anya Shrubsole stored her nerve to get a leg bye off the ultimate ball from Shabnim Ismail as Brave chased down the Welsh Fire complete of 144-5, Brave ending on 145-8.
Welsh Fire’s Queens of Entertainment have been on the proper facet of some thrilling finishes, together with an earlier four-run victory over the Brave, however this was a primary defeat on this yr’s competitors.
Sophia Dunkley hit a half-century for Fire, with Sarah Bryce an unbeaten 44. However, Maia Bouchier, 42, and Smriti Mandhana, 41, laid the inspiration for Brave to ultimately creep over the road.
Welsh Fire needed to handle with out one in all their stars, West Indian Hayley Matthews lacking with a shoulder damage, which meant Dunkley joined captain Tammy Beaumont to open the batting. Beaumont departed after a breezy begin, caught on the boundary off Georgia Adams, however Dunkley was in glowing type in opposition to her former teammates.
England allrounder Dunkley is without doubt one of the causes Welsh Fire have flipped the desk this season, going from backside place to prime after the early video games. She reached her fifty off simply 32 balls, getting good help in a second-wicket partnership from Scotland’s Sarah Bryce.
Dunkley went first ball after reaching that half-century, bowled when attempting to chop a Chloe Tryon arm ball. New batter Laura Harris upped the scoring price, although, getting 19 off her seven balls, together with a towering straight six off Lauren Bell, earlier than being bowled by Anya Shrubsole going for one more large hit.
Bryce anchored the innings with an unbeaten 44 off 36, whereas Adams prolonged her lead as the competition’s top wicket-taker taking 2-22 off her 20 balls. Shrubsole, with 1 for 21 and Kalea Moore, 0 for twenty-four, have been the opposite most economical bowlers.
Fire’s 144-5 was a aggressive complete, however Brave would have felt that they had the firepower to chase. Ismail opened the bowling following on from her hat-trick heroics within the victory over the Pheonix, and she or he continued in wicket-taking type by dismissing the harmful Danni Wyatt together with her fifth ball.
Swansea-born Claire Nicholas was equally tight as Fire conceded simply three runs from the primary 10 balls. At one stage, two Swansea bowlers have been working in tandem in Cardiff when Alex Griffiths joined the assault.
The Women’s Hundred prime run scorer Smriti Mandhana was quickly into her stride for the Brave, with good help from Maia Bouchier. They progressed to 77 on the midway stage, Dunkley lacking a run out likelihood to dismiss Mandhana when she couldn’t attain the stumps on the bowler’s finish.
It didn’t show too costly because the Indian lofted the ball to Ismail on the deep additional boundary off the bowling of Freya Davies, to depart for 41 off 30 balls. Bouchier took on the function as the principle aggressor, although she was dropped on 35 – a troublesome likelihood for Elwiss off Dunkley working again in the direction of lengthy off.
Davies took a slightly simpler likelihood shortly afterwards, additionally working again from mid off, this time without work Elwiss’s bowling as Bouchier went for 42 off 26. Elwiss made it two wickets from two balls as Freya Kemp went LBW first ball, and the pendulum swung firmly in the direction of Welsh Fire.
Tryon survived the hat trick ball, earlier than Adams stored her facet within the sport with 40, leaving the underside order to recover from the road somehow.