Cross scrambles to tie for the Superchargers, but Bell is the brave hero

The Northern Superchargers and Southern Brave tied the score in the Hundred when Kate Cross hustled two runs off the last ball.

Boundary-hitting never looked simple on a sluggish, worn-out surface, and the Superchargers’ chase of 100, following Southern Brave’s equally ugly opening innings batting effort, was tense and stressful throughout.

Georgia Adams, the captain of Brave, effectively managed the conditions and kept the stumps in play to sustain pressure during the chase. They were grateful to England seamer Lauren Bell, whose 4 for 11 was the game’s most impressive effort.

On a close-fought day that saw momentum swing both ways, Phoebe Litchfield and Alice Davidson-Richards both appeared to have the chase under control for Hollie Armitage’s squad. However, both players were substituted out just as they appeared to be putting their team ahead.

For the Southern Brave, only Maia Bouchier and Chloe Tryon reached the 20-run mark, although Bell and Rhianna Southby were instrumental in helping their team reach the crucial three-figure total with the bat.

In the end, Southern Braves’ total was sufficient to prevent Superchargers from surpassing it, although both teams will regret missing the chance to record their first victory of the Hundred.

Hero Meerkat Lauren Bell stated: “It was an emotional roller coaster! I was running on pure adrenaline throughout that final set of five. That’s why we play cricket: because it was cool.

“At the end, you simply have to go ball by ball and observe the player you are bowling against. Ball each ball, because pace-off was working on this pitch and pace-on was a good variation.

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“A straight yorker was the perfect last ball, and I believe I was not too far off from completing it. It’s possible that we should have simply taken a closer look at the pitch, but it’s all in hindsight.