Southern Brave defeated Welsh Fire outstandingly in a much dramatic match-up by 2 wickets on the last ball of the fixture which experienced a number of fantastic performances of both the teams in The HUndred 2023. Georgia Adams was adjudged the Player of the Match for her majestic show with the bat (40 off 24) as well as with the ball (2 for 22) in The Hundred 2023.
Southern Brave won the toss and chose to bowl first. To answer, Welsh Fire’s Tammy Beaumont and Sophia Dunkley were out on the ground in the hope of putting up a defendable total. Dunkley looked poised as she went off the mark with a double and concluded the first set with a fine four. Beaumont too celebrated the positive note of start with a boundary on the 6th ball and a second on the eleventh ball before getting dismissed by Georgia Adams on the 13th ball at just 10 off 9 balls.
But Dunkley kept things normal from the other end with her bouncing back first maximum off the 19th ball followed by three more in a row in the next set of deliveries. Sarah Bryce from the other end was no less than joining hands with Dunkley in bringing the run rate soaring with a fine boundary on the 34th ball and her next on the 53rd ball after a nice exchange of singles between the wickets in The Hundred 2023.
A 58th ball boundary from Dunkley’s bat brought her 50 but she could not make it bigger as Chloe Tryon brought the breakthrough for Braves which hardly made any difference to the scoring of runs for the Fires as the new down Laura Harris kept things on a higher note with her fantastic set of smashes that even accounted for a second six of the innings on the 67th ball followed by a four.
And the good-going Harris finally had to depart for the pavilion at a score of 19 off just 8 balls as Anya Shrubsole made way through the fast-building partnership. This wicket somewhat showed some downfall on the ravaging run-rate and Bryce came up with a much-awaited boundary on the 89th ball after a nice session of fine running between the wickets in The Hundred 2023.
And the inning summed up with some final singles and Georgia Elwiss’ and Ella McCaughan’s wicket on the 95th and 100th ball respectively. But the target of 145 was a huge one for the Braves to chase down thanks to Dunkley’s 50 and Bryce’s unbeaten 44. Smriti Mandhana and Danni Wyatt were ready to take on the heat of the chase but the pressure of a big target somewhat became too much that Wyatt couldn’t stand more than five balls of the inning and she saw her dismissal at a golden duck.
New down Maia Bouchier was in full force as she hit the first six of the chase on the 12th ball followed by Mandhana’s maestro of getting her first four. And it started all when both of them came up with a six each in the next set by Claire Nicholas. Mandhana looked in fully buckled-up stature as she smashed three boundaries in a row. It was the 42nd and the 45th ball that Bouchier gave it a big shot bringing two nice smashes of boundaries that brought the 70-plus score for Brave but midway Mandhana had to depart for the pavilion at a score of fantastically amassed 41 off 30 balls followed by in The Hundred 2023.
Bouchier’s wicket on the 66th ball at off just balls and Freya Kemp at a golden duck.
Georgia Adams showed much power coming fresh on the crease and hitting a massive six and a four back-to-back on the 72nd and the 74th ball. Chloe Tryon was the next in the queue to be dismissed by Shabnim Ismail at a mere score of just 7 off 9 balls. But Adams went on to a different stance with two consecutive boundaries and a splendid maximum on the 93rd boundary.
Although she finally met her oust on the 94th ball followed by two more wickets in the name of Kalea Moore and Rhianna Southby both getting out on a duck, the work was already done and Southern Brave were victorious out of all the circumstances in The Hundred 2023.
The Hundred 2023: Welsh Fire vs Southern Brave Brief Score
Welsh Fire 144/5 in 100 balls (Sophia Dunkley 50, Sarah Bryce 44; Georgia Adams 2-22) lost to Southern Brave 145/8 in 100 balls (Maia Bouchier 42, Georgia Adams 40, Smriti Mandhana 41; Shabnim Ismail 2-19) by two wickets.
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