Let us take a look at the highlights of the curtain-raiser of the inaugural edition of Women’s Hundred that took place on 21 July.
Oval Invincibles v Manchester Originals, Oval
Manchester Originals 135/6 in 100 balls (Lee 42; Farrant 3-25) lost to Oval Invincibles 139/5 in 98 balls (van Niekerk 56*; Cross 3-28) by 5 wickets with 2 balls to spare. Player of the Match: Dane van Niekerk.
Dane van Niekerk’s unbeaten 42-ball 56 helped Oval Invincibles pull off a thrilling win over Manchester Originals in the opening match of the Women’s Hundred 2021 in front of 7,400 fans at The Oval.
Chasing a stiff 136 in 100 balls, the Invincibles were left reeling at 36/4. Van Niekerk and her wife Marizanne Kapp then came to the rescue and combined a 73-run partnership for the fifth wicket before the latter was brilliantly stumped by Ellie Threlkeld for 38.
But van Niekerk held her nerve with Mady Villiers (16* from 8) and hit Kate Cross for four with two balls remaining to reach the target.
Earlier, Lizelle Lee (42), Harmanpreet Kaur (29 in 16), Georgie Boyce (21) and Cross (12* in 4) all chipped in with valuable contributions to help the Originals post 135/6 after they opted to bat. Tash Farrant was the pick of the Invincibles bowler, with 3-25.