Matthews 78* helps Fire storm to victory at Lord's
West Indies allrounder finishes off chase with time to spare despite Danni Gibson heroics for London Spirit
West Indies allrounder finishes off chase with time to spare despite Danni Gibson heroics for London Spirit
Scorer: @Thilak_Rama | Commentator: Shashwat Kumar
2:20pm That will be all from us for this game. But there is LOTS of Hundred action lined up, and all of that can be followed on ESPNcricinfo. Do join us for those matches, and until next time, this is goodbye from Thilak and me. Take care, folks!
Hayley Matthews, Player of the Match: Chasing that score, we felt we needed one of our top three or four to bat deep. Gave myself a chance early on and then started seeing it pretty well. Half-way through, we felt we had to take it deep to give us a chance to win the game. Tried to target the shorter boundary. We had a lot of conversations. Me and JJ - her being a left-hander, we were trying to target the shorter boundary from both ends. Feels like a second home for me. Playing for Wales is a big thing, representing an entire nation and hopefully I can continue (this way).
2:12pm A stunning innings by Matthews - her highest score in the Hundred, and it has taken the Welsh Fire up to four points. It was, pretty much, a one-batter show, with none of the others going past 21. Matthews soaked up the early pressure and when it mattered, she brought out the big hits, accessing both the longer and shorter boundaries.
A slightly underwhelming bowling display by the London Spirit. Deepti, who bowled her first two sets so well, went the distance towards the end. Glenn was also not as incisive as she usually is, giving up 1.35 runs per ball. That made the decision to not bowl out Dean and Norris a little perplexing - the latter, especially, not bowling after her new-ball burst. And in a game of fine margins, that might have made the difference.
4 off 6 now. Welsh Fire one hit away from a win
16 off 10. The brace off the last ball of that previous set has ensured Matthews is on strike. Deepti to bowl the penultimate set
West Indies allrounder finishes off chase with time to spare despite Danni Gibson heroics for London Spirit