Invincibles dominate Originals to cruise into finalpublished at 17:50 British Summer Time 31 August 2022
Ffion Wynne
±«Óãtv Sport cricket writer
Defending champions Oval Invincibles leapfrogged Southern Brave to the top of the Hundred table to progress straight into the final with a 32-run win over Manchester Originals.
Brave, who were previously unbeaten, surrendered the top spot having lost to Northern Superchargers earlier in the day.
Originals needed to win by a big margin in order to claim the third spot to play in the eliminator, but they struggled to keep up with the Invincibles.
Suzie Bates smashed a sublime 79 not out from just 47 balls as Invincibles racked up 163-2.
In reply, Originals needed to win inside 73 balls to pip Trent Rockets to third place, which was always going to be a difficult challenge.
Losing Emma Lamb for a duck after just six balls made it even more difficult, with 17-year-old spin sensation Sophia Smale making the big breakthrough.
Smale and Marizanne Kapp took two wickets each as Invincibles continued to dominate and Originals limped to 131-6 from their 100 balls.
Here's what else happened:
- Invincibles' opening partnership of Bates and Lauren Winfield-Hill continued to impress as they added 63 for the first wicket, Winfield-Hill scoring 25
- Marizanne Kapp finished 36 not out from just 22 balls to propel Invincibles to their match-winning total
- Emma Lamb and Sophie Ecclestone were the only Originals bowlers to take a wicket
- Lizelle Lee smashed 64 from 41 balls but struggled to find a consistent partner at the other end as Originals' middle order all fell for single-figure scores
What's next?
- Oval Invincibles will play in the final at Lord's on Saturday 3 September, and will face the winner of Friday's eliminator between Trent Rockets and Southern Brave.