David Warner claimed bragging rights over his former national teammate Steve Smith in their Hundred clash in Cardiff on Saturday night.
After Warner had battled expertly to compile an unbeaten 70 for the London Spirit to put them in the driving seat, Smith managed only three as his early dismissal led to a collapse by the Welsh Fire.
Only a spectacular unbeaten 86 from Jonny Bairstow, aided by excellent support from Australian allrounder Chris Green (32no off 21 balls) in a magnificent century partnership, gave the hosts the glimpse of a most unlikely win but London held their nerve for a thrilling eight-run win.
Warner cracked two big straight sixes to go with eight fours off 45 balls, helping the Spirit amass an impressive 5-163 on what he called a “difficult, seamy” surface.
Certainly, it looked hard as Smith, opening up with Bairstow, succumbed on just the fifth ball he faced, his attempted scoop off Richard Gleeson ending in the hands of fine third.
That prompted the home side to implode, slumping to 6-55 with Anglo-Aussie Dan Worrall particularly impressive with his 2-31 off his 20-ball allocation.
But Green, who’s been having a fruitful spell with Lancashire this summer, finally proved a worthy partner for Bairstow, hitting a six and a couple of boundaries which seemed to trigger his English partner.
Bairstow was stupendous, peppering six sixes and six fours around off 50 balls as the Sophia Gardens crowd reached a fever pitch of excitement near the end.
Warner, who won the player-of-the-match ‘hero’ award and was hailed as “outstanding” by his Spirit skipper Kane Williamson, had to admit with a smile: “We tried to execute but Jonny was on fire. Credit to the way he and ‘Greeny’ batted, they were superb.”
The veteran left-hander reckoned he was still trying to get to grips with the 10-balls-per-end format but recognised the Justin Langer-coached Spirit’s win as crucial after they’d lost their opening match at Lord’s on Tuesday when he fell cheaply for just nine.
He had been helped during the Spirit’s innings by a sprightly cameo from fellow Aussie Ashton Turner, who hit 24 off 14 balls before he holed out to Smith off some impressive bowling from another green-and-gold import Riley Meredith (1-26).
In the day’s other men’s match, another Australian quick Jason Behrendorff impressed in the Oval Invincibles’ nine-wicket home win over Manchester Originals, taking 2-16 off his 15 deliveries, including the key wicket of Jos Buttler.
Phil Salt (41 off 32) became the first batter to pass 1000 runs in the competition in the Originals’ 128 before Will Jacks (61) and Tawanda Muyeye (59no) helped ease the Invincibles to 1-129 with 43 balls to spare.
Meanwhile, on the women’s side of the competition, there were more headline acts from Australians as Grace Harris, Charli Knott and Beth Mooney all shone.
Harris, who pummelled the biggest innings of the competition on its opening day on Tuesday, ended the tournament’s first week with masterly death bowling to enable London Spirit to edge Welsh Fire by just two runs in Cardiff.
Harris’s young teammate Knott also came to the party in the Spirit’s win, the 22-year-old allrounder earning the player-of-the-match honours with her 47 off 33 balls as well as a crucial wicket.
Their heroics came soon after another thriller in London on Saturday in which Mooney played the perfect captain’s knock, a superb 70 off 45 balls, to earn Manchester Originals a two-run win over their Oval Invincibles hosts, who almost chased down the total with a half-century from Meg Lanning.
Pride of place, though, once again went to irrepressible allrounder Harris, who started off her latest big day by hitting the only six of the match in her cameo of 18 in the Spirit’s 124 all out.
Then, in the field, she took a fine catch on the boundary off Knott’s spin to get rid of the dangerous Tammy Beaumont as the Fire, who were being guided strongly by a fine knock from another Australian Jess Jonassen, appeared to be coasting to victory.
With just one five-ball ‘over’ remaining, Harris was called on to save the day for the Spirit with her crafty spinning, but it looked a hopeless cause with the visitors only three wickets down and needing just seven to win.
But Harris, who’d taken a final-over hat-trick to win a Women’s Premier League match for UP Warriorz back in February, again proved nerveless.
She went for just four runs off five balls, having one catch off her bowling dropped before taking a wicket with her final delivery as Georgia Elwiss tried to hit the winning boundary only to be caught expertly by Charlie Dean, running back from mid-on.
Two balls earlier, Jonassen’s hopes of guiding the visitors home had been ended by a brilliant piece of fielding from fellow Australian, wicketkeeper Georgia Redmayne, who, with gloves on, flicked the ball back skilfully on to the stumps to run her out.
Earlier, at the Oval, Mooney was thrilled to get the better of her old national captain and friend Lanning in their terrific batting duel.
Mooney gleaned more than half her side’s total of 6-139 as she cracked 10 boundaries but Lanning, having guided the Invincibles to within 13 of victory in the chase with her second half-century of the week, miscued and was caught for 56 off 42 balls.
With Marizanne Kapp (19no) not quite able to get the Invincibles across the line, it only meant more frustration for Lanning, who’d scored 85 in another losing cause in their first match on Tuesday.
Mooney could only smile with relief. “I’ve seen Meg win a lot of games chasing totals like that, so there’s always a bit of fear in you when she’s hitting the ball like that,” she said. “She’s been an amazing player for years.
“As a fan of the game, it’s really nice to see here out there with a smile on her face and hitting the ball like she is, but glad we got her out in the end.”
Australians in The Hundred 2025
Birmingham Phoenix: Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Georgia Voll
London Spirit: David Warner, Ashton Turner; Grace Harris, Georgia Redmayne, Charli Knott
Manchester Originals: Beth Mooney
Northern Superchargers: Phoebe Litchfield, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham
Oval Invincibles: Jason Behrendorff; Amanda-Jade Wellington, Meg Lanning
Southern Brave: Hilton Cartwright
Trent Rockets: Marcus Stoinis; Ash Gardner, Alana King, Heather Graham
Welsh Fire: Steve Smith, Riley Meredith, Chris Green; Jess Jonassen
