Joe McConnell
Heather Knight guided London Spirit to a vital seven-wicket win at Headingley, eliminating opponents Northern Superchargers and keeping them in contention for the knockout stages.
Knight (43no) and Deepti Sharma (37no) put on a 77-run partnership to help Spirit post 105-3 after losing the toss and being fielded. Their win also takes them to second in the standings with nine points.
For the Superchargers, a win would have secured them a spot in the final three for the second consecutive season, but their season is now over.
The damage was done by the Spirit’s star bowlers who dismissed the Superchargers’ top three in just 14 balls, with Tara Norris (1-6), Eva Gray (3-17) and Dani Gibson (2-17) each taking a wicket.
Annabel Sutherland attempted to rebuild her team, but when she brought on Deepti Sharma, hopes of a formidable score for the hosts vanished, leaving them 44-4 at half-time.
Alice Davidson-Richards (33) ensured the Superchargers helped keep the score moving, but their 99-7 run looked below par.
The Superchargers were chasing early wickets but Meg Lanning (20) smashed a couple of sixes in an 11-ball 20 to put Spirit ahead in the chase.
Linsey Smith (3-16) removed Lanning and briefly revived the Superchargers’ hopes after taking the wicket of Cordelia Griffith (0) on the next ball and dismissing Georgia Redmayne (2) at a low over, but struggled to break the partnership between Knight and Sharma.
The pair accelerated towards the end and were relatively calm in what could have been a high-pressure chase. The experienced international duo showed their class to keep Spirit’s hopes alive and take out the Superchargers.
Player of the Match – Deepti Sharma
“I think all the credit goes to our bowlers. We had a match and we performed really well.
“I think I’m used to these kinds of conditions. The wicket is a little slower, slippery at times, but we did very well in the first innings and also in the second.
“I like challenges and I really enjoy bowling and batting in those kinds of situations. We just focus on our games and yeah, we sit there and [watch] the other games.”
What will happen now?
The Hundred continues on Wednesday, August 14 with another double header Brave of the South assume Welsh Fire AND Trent Rockets to collide with Invincible ovals.
The women’s match will be available to watch on Vscek Main Event and Vscek Cricket from 11pm, the first match at 11.30pm and the men’s match on Vscek Cricket from 2.30pm.
Vscek+ has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TV, the NOW streaming service and the Vscek app, giving Vscek customers access to over 50 percent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.
