That concludes our Women's Hundred action for today. Thank you for tuning in. This is Rashad Mahbub signing off on behalf of Thilak Ram and the rest of the ESPNcricinfo crew. Take care and goodbye!
Player of the Match, Laura Wolvaardt: "Very happy that we were able to get the win. I think it was quite a nice wicket to bat on out there. So we've done well to restrict them to that total. On a good wicket, we wanted to get ahead of the game early. We knew they had a lot of world-class spinners in their attack, so we tried to make the most of the power play. I really enjoyed batting with Bouch [Bouchier] today. We tried rotating well and then found the boundaries as well. [Lack of batting time for the middle order] I don't think so. Last game, they actually got us over the line in a really tight finish. So I think our top order batting is exactly what we want heading into the finals. We'll take it. [Highest run chase for the Brave this season] I think that's a crazy stat, and we've chased in quite a lot of games, never having to chase more than 110 most days. [Bowling] They've been absolutely amazing. Bell and Tilly, the way they set the turn up front has just been awesome. [7 out of 7 wins] Amazing turnaround. Pretty much the same group as well. Really glad I got to be a part of it this season, and that was right into our final."
5:05 pm The run chase was a one-sided affair, with Laura Wolvaardt and Maia Bouchier laying a perfect foundation for the Southern Brave's victory. Despite getting the start they wanted by picking up the wicket of Wyatt-Hodge in the second set, the London Spirit bowlers couldn't restrict the Brave's run flow. Wolvaardt and Bouchier rotated the strike expertly and punished every loose delivery, especially in the Powerplay. Laura Wolvaardt led the counterattack, not allowing the spinners to settle and finding boundaries with ease. She also made history, becoming the fourth batter to reach 1000 runs in the Women's Hundred, joining an elite list that includes Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danny Wyatt-Hodge, and Sophia Dunkley. Wolvaardt stayed unbeaten with 56 runs off 40 balls, while Maia Bouchier played a superb supporting role, scoring 43 off 34 deliveries before missing out on a well-deserved fifty. The Spirit's bowling unit was not helped by a few dropped catches and misfields, making it impossible to defend the below-par total. Issy Wong was the only bright spot for the bowlers, managing to pick up two wickets.
Southern Brave won by 8 wickets
London Spirit vs Southern Brave Women's match attendance - 15,818
7 required from the last two sets, Charlie Dean to bowl the penultimate set.
END OF OVER:18 | 3 Runs | SB-W: 119/2 (7 runs required from 10 balls, RR: 6.61, RRR: 3.50)
- Sophie Devine5 (11b)
- Laura Wolvaardt56 (40b)
- Eva Gray2.5-0-19-0
- Sarah Glenn3.5-0-20-0
10 runs needed from 15 balls, here's Eva Gray.
END OF OVER:17 | 3 Runs | SB-W: 116/2 (10 runs required from 15 balls, RR: 6.82, RRR: 3.33)
- Laura Wolvaardt55 (37b)
- Sophie Devine3 (9b)
- Sarah Glenn3.5-0-20-0
- Grace Harris0.5-0-3-0
Sarah Glenn to bowl out
END OF OVER:16 | 3 Runs | SB-W: 113/2 (13 runs required from 20 balls, RR: 7.06, RRR: 3.25)
- Laura Wolvaardt53 (35b)
- Sophie Devine2 (6b)
- Grace Harris0.5-0-3-0
- Charlie Dean2.5-0-16-0
Grace Harris in
END OF OVER:15 | 2 Runs | SB-W: 110/2 (16 runs required from 25 balls, RR: 7.33, RRR: 3.20)
- Laura Wolvaardt51 (33b)
- Sophie Devine1 (3b)
- Charlie Dean2.5-0-16-0
- Issy Wong3.5-0-34-2
Raji: "This side looks really weak without Heather and Deepti--and honestly, they should never have let Meg go either."
