London Spirit Women Seal Their First-Ever Hundred Women's Title

It was an absolute thriller at Lord’s, London, as the London Spirit Women sealed their first-ever Hundred Women’s title Competition. Welsh Fire Women were at the receiving end on that night as they were beaten by four wickets with two balls to spare. They chased Spirit in a meek target of 116, getting back from early stutters, as Georgia Redmayne struck a calm 34 off 32 balls, for the Player of the Match award.

Welsh Fire could not quite gain momentum, having batted first and losing vital wickets regularly. Captain Tammy Beaumont scored 21 off 16. Hayley Matthews added 22 off 26 as the aggressive anchors of the innings before Jess Jonassen’s crucial 54 off 41 balls boosted them to a competitive 115/8. The efforts of Jonassen went in vain, as the team could not accelerate against the Spirit’s bowling attack, led by Sarah Glenn and Eva Gray, who picked up two wickets each and kept the scoring really tight.

The chase was unsteady from the start as London Spirit lost captain Meg Lanning for just 4, bowled by Shabnim Ismail, who was the pick of the Fire’s bowlers with 3 for 24. Redmayne held it all together with Cordelia Griffith, though when Ismail struck to have Knight and Danielle Gibson bowled in the space of two runs, the balance was only just tipped in London’s favour. While Gibson added 22 off 9, skipper Heather Knight’s 24 off 18 also played a vital role in bringing them an inch closer to victory.

Deepti Sharma guides London Spirit to First-Ever Hundred Women’s title

The tension mounted with Spirit requiring 12 from the last 10 balls, which Deepti Sharma did, holding her nerves, to guide Spirit home with a boundary in the penultimate over.

“This win is a massive milestone for Heather Knight, who now gets another trophy added to her illustrious career. Seven years after winning a Women’s World Cup at this very same venue, Knight now lifted The Hundred Trophy for London Spirit; a moment that goes in history for the Lord’s-based side,” informed The Hundred. Annabel Sutherland, whose side exited the competition in the league stage, was named Player of the Series for her all-round brilliance, wherein she scored 212 runs and scalped 10 wickets.