Wyatt, Bouchier fireworks take Southern Vipers into Charlotte Edwards Cup remaining
Southern Vipers 191 for six (Wyatt 76, Bouchier 56) beat Thunder 173 for 8 (Morris 36, Adams 2-26) by 18 runs
Danni Wyatt and Maia Bouchier smashed explosive fifties to set the foundations for Southern Vipers to beat Thunder and attain the Charlotte Edwards Cup remaining. England duo Wyatt and Bouchier shared a 108-run stand for the primary wicket with scores of 76 and 56 respectively as Vipers chalked up 191 for six – regardless of Olivia Bell’s career-best 4 for 36.
Although there have been good contributions from Fi Morris, Deandra Dottin, Ellie Threlkeld, and Sophie Ecclestone, Thunder ended up 18 runs quick on their Finals Day debut. Vipers will play the Blaze, who had been unbeaten within the group stage, within the remaining at 4pm.
The tone for a run-filled afternoon at New Road was set when Bouchier minimize her first ball to the boundary after Thunder had caught Vipers in to bat first. The first 11 overs had been a masterclass of engaging energy hanging from Bouchier and Wyatt, the previous preferring to go down the bottom and the latter utilizing her trademark minimize plentifully.
Both had been launched by England for this match, having hung out making ready for the upcoming Women’s Ashes Test, and proved why they’re within the reckoning for the sequence towards Australia. Their 108-run stand was Vipers’ highest partnership of the competitors, as Bouchier received the race to a half-century. She received there in 29 balls to Wyatt’s 34, in the identical over.
Bouchier fell for her Charlotte Edwards Cup better of 56 – which included 10 fours – after a forefront was caught by keeper Threlkeld after 5 seconds of hold time.
Wyatt was unperturbed by the wicket as she pinged worldwide team-mate Ecclestone for the one six of the innings – left-arm spinner Ecclestone would finally return an uncharacteristically costly 1 for 50.
Vipers misplaced six wickets through the latter phases however maintained their run fee to achieve 191 – their highest T20 rating and the fourth-highest within the competitors’s historical past.
Those wickets had been virtually completely right down to Bell – who had Georgia Adams caught at level, Wyatt crashing an enormous full toss to deep midwicket, Freya Kemp bowled and Ella McCaughan stumped. The offspinner took two wickets in successive overs and boasts a scarcely plausible match strike fee of 6.63 together with her 11 wickets coming in simply 12 overs.
Thunder matched Vipers within the powerplay – each groups rocketed to 50 – thanks principally to Morris’ six sweetly-struck boundaries. But they did lose Emma Lamb third ball when ramping Anya Shrubsole and Liberty Heap, bowled by Linsey Smith.
Morris had come into the match on the again of scores of 36, 44 and 42 not out in her earlier three innings – with Thunder profitable 4 of their final 5 matches to achieve Finals Day. She contributed with 36 earlier than Georgia Elwiss plucked a surprising one-handed catch at full stretch.
Former West Indies powerhouse Deandra Dottin wanted solely 4 balls earlier than swishing a six over the leg aspect and continued with an array of attacking strikes in a 14-ball 24 earlier than her aerial bombardment was ended by a catch at long-on.
Ecclestone and Threlkeld placed on a productive 42 earlier than the previous was caught three balls after being dropped for 33. Naomi Dattani skewed to level and the 25 wanted off the ultimate over was simply defended by Adams – as she picked up the wickets of Threlkeld and Danielle Collins for good measure.