Trent Rockets maintained their hopes of reaching the knockout stages of The Hundred with a 24-run win over Southern Brave in Southampton as skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt became the highest run-scorer in the history of the women’s competition.
Sciver-Brunt’s 60 not out from 37 balls – during which she surpassed Brave opener and England team-mate Danni Wyatt’s haul of 903 runs across all editions of The Hundred – took Rockets to 155-7.
Wyatt (0) failed to add to her tally after falling for a golden duck in Brave’s response with the already-eliminated defending champions restricted to 131-6 – Chloe Tryon top-scoring with an unbeaten 47 from 31 balls – as they slumped to a fifth defeat in seven fixtures.
Fifth-placed Rockets must now beat Birmingham Phoenix on Monday and Oval Invincibles on Wednesday, as well as hope other results fall in their favour, to finish in the top three.
The table toppers will progress directly to the final at Lord’s on August 18, where they will face the winner of an eliminator between the second and third-placed teams at The Kia Oval a day earlier.
Rockets are up to six points from as many games and to within a point of the top three, while Brave are rooted to the foot of the table on three points having picked up a solitary victory, over Invincibles.
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Sciver-Brunt deflected a delivery from Lauren Bell onto her stumps but the bails stayed on
Sciver-Brunt enjoyed a slice of fortune on 38 when she deflected Lauren Bell’s slower ball back onto her stumps but the bails stayed on, during a Rockets innings in which opener Grace Scrivens struck a sprightly 36 off 24 balls.
Brave bowler Bell picked up three wickets and conceded two boundaries in an entertaining final five balls, while Wyatt and Maia Bouchier (0) were dismissed by left-arm seamer Alexa Stonehouse during the opening five balls of the reply.
Smriti Mandhana (42 off 27) – who had run out Rockets’ Bryony Smith from the first ball of the match – and Brave captain Georgia Adams (27 off 29) rallied the hosts from 1-2 with a stand of 60 from 46 balls.
That partnership was snapped when Adams was run out with 95 runs required from 50 deliveries and Brave’s knock subsequently fizzled out, with Tryon’s boundaries at the backend coming too late.
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Smriti Mandhana’s direct hit from mid-on dismissed Bryony Smith for a duck from the first ball of Trent Rockets’ innings
Player of the Match – Nat Sciver-Brunt
“I am really happy with today. Their batters put us under the pump, and made us go through a few plans. After a few games, we felt pretty down. But we’ve come back pretty strongly in the last two games.”
What’s next?
Sunday is another four-game day in The Hundred, starting with a London derby between Oval Invincibles and London Spirit at The Kia Oval as the women’s sides collide from 11am before the men lock horns from 2.30pm.
There is also action at Emirates Old Trafford as Manchester Originals met Northern Superchargers, with the women’s fixture starting at 2.30pm and the men’s at 6pm.
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Oval Invincibles Women vs London Spirit Women (10.30am on air, 11am start)
– Free stream on Sky Sports’ digital platforms; also on Sky Sports Cricket
Oval Invincibles Men vs London Spirit Men (2pm on air, 2.30pm start)
– Live on Sky Sports Cricket
Manchester Originals Women vs Northern Superchargers Women (2pm on air, 2.30pm start)
– Free stream on Sky Sports’ digital platforms; also on Sky Sports Mix
Manchester Originals Men vs Northern Superchargers Men (5.30pm on air, 6pm start)
– Live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event
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