10:10 PM IST, 5:40 PM Local Time: That's it. A solid all-around effort from the Southern Brave Women help them beat the Trent Rockets Women comprehensively by 27 runs to get off to a winning start to the Women's Hundred 2023. All smiles in the Brave camp and the Rockets Women will have a lot to think about before their next game.
Chasing 158 was always going to be a tricky task. The Trent Rockets Women got off to a disastrous start as Bryony Smith was run out on the very first ball. Lizelle Lee tried hard but fell on 11 while trying to break the shackles. Naomi Dattani fell on eight as the Rockets were going nowhere in the chase.
Skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet Kaur led the recovery work but the required run rate kept creeping up. Kaur scored a 17-ball 22 before falling on the 59th ball. Nat played a wonderful knock at the other end. She hit some lusty blows and scored 49 off 31 balls before falling to her opposite number. That was the end of the game as the Rockets Women finished their innings on 130/7 to lose the game by 27 runs.
Mary Taylor on her debut was outstanding with the ball for the Southern Brave Women. She bowled beautifully and picked up three wickets, giving away only 18 runs in her 20 balls. Georgia Adams also chipped in with a couple of scalps as the Southern Brave completed a dominant performance with the ball to get off to a winning start to the tournament.
Earlier, the Southern Brave Women were asked to bat first and they had a solid start, thanks to Smriti Mandhana and Danielle Wyatt. Both played some lovely strokes upfront. Wyatt fell on 27 but there was no stopping Mandhana as she continued playing her strokes. She was well-supported by Maia Bouchier (31) from the other end.
Mandhana scored 55 off just 36 balls to help her side lay a foundation for a strong finish. Chloe Tryon walked out to bat and played a very good cameo of 23* off 10 balls to power her side to 157/6 at the end of their 100 balls.
Bryony Smith picked up two wickets for the Trent Rockets Women. Dattani, Alana King and Kirstie Gordon chipped in with a wicket each but they leaked runs and eventually failed to chase it down.