London Spirit 135 for 7 (Kerr 60*) were defeated by Northern Superchargers 136 for 6 (Litchfield 38, Rodrigues 30, Glenn 3-19) by a margin of four wickets.
Amelia Kerr’s valiant efforts with bat and ball were in fruitless as London Spirit fell to Northern Superchargers by four wickets in a thrilling match, eliminating them from contention for the 2023 Women’s Hundred.
New Zealand all-rounder Kerr led Spirit to 135 for 7 in their 100 balls with a stunning 32-ball 60 that included nine fours.
The hosts made a determined effort to protect their score and remain in the event as she followed that up with 2 for 24 with the ball and Sarah Glenn returned 3 for 19.
Thanks to Jemimah Rodrigues’ 30 and the in-form Phoebe Litchfield’s 38 from 34, the Superchargers just barely made it home, scoring 136 for 6.
However, the Superchargers barely made it home, reaching 136 for 6, thanks to the in-form Phoebe Litchfield’s 38 from 34 and Jemimah Rodrigues‘ 30 as they all but assured their place in the knockout rounds.
When Spirit was given the opportunity to bat, Niamh Holland was out after being stumped by Bess Heath off of Grace Ballinger, and it took England’s skipper Heather Knight seven balls to get off the mark, therefore only 22 runs were scored during the powerplay.
Grace Harris’ terrible season continued when she blasted a Linsey Smith full toss straight to midwicket. All-rounder Danielle Gibson (24) hit England fast Kate Cross for six before being bowled by Georgia Wareham.
Spirit were 53 for 4 when Knight was run out, but it was at this point that Kerr grabbed control, sweeping wonderfully and smashing forcefully down the ground.
Before the Indian wicketkeeper reached the safe hands of Cross off the bowling of Lucy Higham, the pair scored 37 runs in 26 balls. Richa Ghosh cleared the ropes at mid-on during this time, but Kerr hit three consecutive boundaries as 36 runs came from the final 20 balls to give the hosts something to bowl at.
Superchargers got off to a shaky start, with Marie Kelly fluttering one from England’s fast Lauren Filer through to Ghosh before in-form Phoebe Litchfield escaped Charlie Dean’s lbw scream and the mistakenly reviewed not out judgment.
At the tail end of the powerplay, Jemimah Rodrigues hit a string of fours, and Litchfield continued the momentum by smacking a Tara Norris delivery straight back over the bowler’s head.
In the hopes that they might discover the same turn as the Superchargers’ spinners, Knight turned to Glenn and Kerr. In response, Rodrigues twice cut and pulled the New Zealander to the fence in a set, but Glenn ended the fun by trapping the foreign star lbw.
After the tactical break, Kerr instantly accounted for Hollie Armitage, but Litchfield persisted, scaling Filer over the keeper and sweeping Kerr for an additional four.
When it was Gibson’s turn, the Australian gave her a rough time, and Bess Heath celebrated being called up to the England team by hitting the same bowler nearly into the Tavern. Heath died when attempting to replicate the stroke off Glenn, and when Litchfield’s attempt at a reverse sweep off Kerr fell short, the match was once again in doubt.
The Superchargers were able to cross the finish line with one ball remaining when Wareham and Cross hit crucial fours and Norris dropped the England quick after Davidson-Richards gloved one to give Glenn his third wicket.
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