WEEKLY ROUNDUP
Follow Us12 days and 17 matches into The Hundred, and we’ve enjoyed every bit of action that’s come out of it.
The last week was no different. It was a thrill-a-minute every encounter, with spectators witnessing high-octane cricket. Let’s look at some of the action from last week.
Batters - this is probably the time to look away. Disturbing visuals ahead.
Tymal Mills’ hat-trick leads his side to a crushing victory
As if Craig Overton and George Garton had not inflicted enough damage at the top, Tymal Mills came back at the death to mop the tail. It took him all of just three balls to account for the last three wickets and bundle Welsh Fire (M) out for 87. In the process, he became just the second men’s cricketer to register a hat-trick in The Hundred.
For someone known for his pace, the left-arm pacer used off-pace deliveries to get all his three wickets. He’s been in great wicket-taking form this season, having gone wicketless in just one of five games so far.
Can you be any more cool, Shabnim?
The last three days have witnessed two instances of a team’s innings derailed by losing three wickets off the last three deliveries. And Welsh Fire was the only common strand between both matches.
Before Mills did this to Welsh Fire (M), Shabnim Ismail delivered a ruthless knockout punch to Birmingham Phoenix (W). Defending four of the final three deliveries, she did not concede a single run - ensuring a three-run victory for Welsh Fire (W).
“We're going to win this game, don't worry - I've got this," Ismail told her skipper Tammy Beaumont while walking in to bowl the final set.
Spencer Johnson, where have you been?
If the first innings saw the Oval Invincibles (M) top 3 cumulatively score 151 runs off 82 balls, the second innings saw their bowlers wreak havoc. Spencer Johnson, in particular, bowled a spell never seen before.
It seemed like he was bowling bullets for balls, as he gave no more than a solitary run in his quota of 20 balls. Just one run in 20 balls in a format that gives batters only 100 balls to maximise. Like his team, he truly seems invincible.
While we’re at it, it’s only fair that we shed some light on the Invincibles. A top-order that consists of Jason Roy, Will Jacks, and Heinrich Klaasen is already box-office. Add a bowling lineup with the likes of Sam Curran, Spencer Johnson, and Sunil Narine - it feels like a side assembled by scientists in a laboratory.
Fi Morris shines on Manchester Originals debut
The young off-spinner came up with the best figures in The Hundred across both the men’s and women’s competitions. Fi Morris took a remarkable 5 for 7 in just 16 balls. Paired with Sophie Ecclestone - the world’s best T20I bowler - she showed exactly why she meant business. The senior pro also picked up 4 for 11 to help bowl Birmingham Phoenix (W) out for just 91.
"I think it's probably my best-ever day in cricket, to be honest," she said while describing her performance.
It takes more than just a good performance to shine brightly in a bowling attack that features Amanda Jade-Wellington, Mahika Gaur, and Sophie Ecclestone. Playing like a typical Manchester surface, all 10 wickets were taken by spinners.
Despite the relatively low target, the chase wasn’t as straightforward as they would have hoped. A 69-run-partnership between Laura Wolvaardt and Ami Campbell had all but sealed the game, but Erin Burns and Tess Flintoff staged a mini comeback by being amongst the wickets and stemming the flow of runs. As if poetically, it was the skipper Ecclestone who had to walk into the middle for finishing duties.
