Northern Superchargers soared to the top of The Hundred table with a commanding victory over Birmingham Phoenix at a sun-drenched Headingley.
A third win in four matches for Hollie Armitage’s team was built around a miserly performance from their slow bowlers, Lucy Higham and Linsey Smith, who each picked up two wickets to stem the Phoenix’s flow.
Their intervention was perfectly timed, after the visitors had begun brightly. On 44-1 from 30 balls with Emma Lamb and Marie Kelly going well, the Phoenix lost five wickets in 20 deliveries, with captain Ellyse Perry’s farcical run out – Annabel Sutherland diverting a straight drive from Kelly onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end – summing up the Phoenix’s misfortune.
From 59-6, Em Arlott and Sterre Kalis rebuilt the innings impressively, putting on an unbeaten 57, the highest stand for the seventh wicket in the history of The Hundred’s women’s competition.
On a beautiful batting track, it nonetheless felt under par. The Superchargers openers, Davina Perrin and Alice Davidson-Richards, were both dropped early on – Perrin before she had scored when Hannah Baker palmed a pull shot over the rope for six – and their stand of 27 ensured that the home side were always ahead of the game.
Phoebe Litchfield scored an unbeaten half-century for Northern Superchargers (Credit: ECB Images)
Australian superstar Phoebe Litchfield, having started this year’s tournament quietly, roared back into form with a stunning assault against Baker in particular, drilling the spinner for a trio of consecutive boundaries to settle any concerns in the home dugout.
With her compatriot Sutherland at the other end, the pair cruised to the finish line with only one alarm when Litchfield, on 48, was dropped at deep extra-cover by Baker.
Litchfield brought up her second half-century in the competition from just 25 balls, as the Superchargers’ overseas stars wrapped things up with 26 balls to spare.
Litchfield, who was named the Match Hero, said: “That was good fun out there. Every time we play here at Headingley we know it’ll be a good pitch and you saw that even when Davina and ADR came out, and then especially Bellesey [Sutherland] at the end there.”
Litchfield was also full of praise for the Superchargers’ spinners, Smith and Higham.
She added: “They hit their lengths and kept the stumps in play and forced the Birmingham batters to try something else, and we backed them up in the field. Our two little spinners have done wonders for us for a few years now and they showed it again today.
“We’ve had this group together for three years now, it hasn’t changed much, and the vibes are good. We had a pretty average game last time out, but we tried to park that and came out with a positive mindset.”
How do matches work?
- One hundred balls a side, the team with the most runs wins. It is as simple as that.
- Five bowlers can bowl up to 20 balls in an innings, including five or 10 in a row.
- The traditional six-ball overs seen in other forms of cricket are not used in The Hundred, with 10 balls bowled before a change of ends.
- The powerplay is for the first 25 balls of an innings, with only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle.
- A 25-ball-a-side game is the minimum length that can be played in the event of wet weather.
What’s next?
The Hundred continues with a double-header on Saturday. Trent Rockets host Southern Brave, with the women’s match starting at 11am and the men’s contest following at 2:30pm.
Oval Invincibles host Welsh Fire at The Oval with the women’s match starting at 2.30pm, and the men’s fixture following at 6pm. All four matches will be available to watch live on Sky Sports!
Both teams playing on Friday return to action on Sunday, with another double-header seeing Northern Superchargers play away to Manchester Originals, with Birmingham Phoenix hosting London Spirit.
Watch every match across the women’s and men’s competitions live on Sky Sports from August 5-31.
