Winfield-Hill finds form as Invincibles beat Spirit
Lauren Winfield-Hill scores her first half-century in The Hundred this year to lead Oval Invincibles to an eight-wicket win over London Spirit.
Lauren Winfield-Hill scored her first half-century in The Hundred this year to lead Oval Invincibles to an eight-wicket win over London Spirit.
Set 121 to win, Invincibles got over the line with nine balls to spare thanks to an unbeaten 61 in 40 balls from captain Winfield-Hill.
The Invincibles opener hit the winning runs with her 10th boundary, taking her partnership with Marizanne Kapp, who made 30 from 18 balls, to 51 in the process.
Victory takes Invincibles level on points with leaders Welsh Fire and keeps them in with a chance of qualifying directly for next Sunday’s final at Lord’s.
But for Deepti Sharma’s 46 not out, to rescue Spirit from 47-7 to post 120-8, the margin of victory would likely have been big enough to send Invicibles top on net run-rate.
As it is, Winfield-Hill’s side go into their final group match – against Trent Rockets on Wednesday – knowing a win guarantees them a place in the top three.
They must wait on Fire’s result at Southern Brave earlier that day to know what will be required to take top spot, though.
Meanwhile, Spirit are two points back in fourth and need to win at Northern Superchargers on Tuesday to book a top-three place.
Invincibles’ win also means Manchester Originals have now been eliminated from contention.
What else do you need to know?
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Former Australia captain Meg Lanning was trapped lbw by Kapp for a three-ball duck to start Spirit’s early collapse
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When England skipper Heather Knight was caught and bowled by Amanda-Jade Wellington for 8, Spirit were 37-5 after 42 balls
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Wellington’s wicket was her ninth of the tournament, putting her joint-third in the wicket-taking stakes
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Deepti and Eva Gray helped the visitors recover from 47-7 – their 56-run stand is the highest for the eighth wicket in The Hundred women’s competition
‘I was determined to put in a good performance’ – what they said
Match hero, Oval Invincibles captain Lauren Winfield-Hill: “It’s a great feeling. I was due [a score] so it’s really nice to contribute, especially at the business end.
“There was a little bit of hold in the wicket and a little bit of bounce. I don’t think I’ve ever played that many reverse sweeps in my whole career – but it was working.
“I was really determined to put in a good performance today and to be there at the end with Kappy is a really nice feeling.
“It’s always hard this time of the competition, you’re looking at other results a lot and willing other teams to do well.
“Sometimes you can take your eye off what we’re trying to do, so the more we can focus on what we’re trying to do, the better.”
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10 hours ago
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What is happening on Monday?
It is a Midlands derby on Monday as Birmingham Phoenix host Trent Rockets at Edgbaston on Monday. The women’s match starts at 15:00 BST with the men’s game following at 18:30.
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