Southern Brave edged MI London by one run in a thrilling encounter that came down to the last ball at the Utilita Bowl in Southampton.
Jemimah Rodrigues (32 off 22), opener Maia Bouchier (31 off 22), and top scorer Laura Wolvaardt (35) led the charge for the Brave to a below-par score of 126-7 after their 100 balls, with West Indies star Hayley Matthews (4-22) producing some brilliant off-spin to see off the home side’s middle order.
Matthews then echoed her brilliance with the ball with an effective batting performance, notching 32 off 28 before being removed by Izzy Wong (1-20), but it was the fifty stand of Danni Wyatt-Hodge (52no off 42) and captain Hollie Armitage (27) that looked to have led MI London to the finish line, needing eight off the last five balls.
Jemimah Rodrigues notched 32 for Southern Brave as they posted 126-7
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Alice Davidson-Richards leapt up to take a great catch off Lizelle Lee in The Hundred.
However, Lauren Bell produced a superb final over to leave her England team-mate Danni Wyatt-Hodge needing four from the last ball. Bell had the final say, preventing Wyatt-Hodge from finding the boundary and condemning MI London to defeat.
The Brave secured their third consecutive victory, extending their lead at the top of the Hundred standings to six points ahead of the Manchester Super Giants. Meanwhile, MI London’s struggles continued as they remained winless and rooted to the bottom of the Women’s competition table.
MI London’s Danni Wyatt-Hodge made 52no in her team’s loss
“This team has great belief,” Player of the match Rodrigues said on Sky Sports.
“What sets us apart is the calmness. We kept believing.
“It was a tricky wicket. If you hit good lengths, it becomes tough to hit boundaries. I know I am standing here [with the Player of the Match trophy], but one of our bowlers should have got it, they bowled really well.”
