full and wide, tries to drive and is beaten. Anticlimactic end to a limp chase from the Invincibles.
5.45 pm Welsh Fire looked behind at the innings break but a very very sharp fielding performance backed up by tidy bowling has taken them to victory on the road in London. Both teams are on four points, along with Trent Rockets, but the Invincibles are in the best position thanks to their net run rate.
Match Hero is Sarah Taylor: "We asked a lot of them going out to field. We had a below par total. But we put them under pressure with our bowling and fielding. [George] always wants to practice speccys and she definitely did that. I came back to this tournament to enjoy it and I'm definitely doing that."
Welsh Fire captain Sophie Luff: "I guess we felt we were a few runs light but the girls backed us up in the field. Katie George is a fantastic athlete and though she can't bowl at the moment, she's contributing in the field. We feel like we've got some momentum now."
That's it from our coverage of the Women's match. Flip over to the feed for the Men's half of the doubleheader now. For Andrew Miller, I'm Peter Della Penna. Take care!
full on the legs, flicked high and deep into the gap between deep midwicket and long-on.
good length ball outside off, punched into the off side.
this time a charge, and this time the zing bails and stumps light up in legitimate fashion. Gray is beaten between bat and pad on a good length ball after charging down the pitch. Taylor collects outside leg stump and flicks the bails back so sharply that it's ambiguous at first whether this is stumping or bowled. But it was Taylor's work for sure.
what a shot to get off the mark first ball! Premeditates a shuffle way outside off to paddle sweep this fine through fine leg for a boundary. Third umpire checking because the zing bails and stumps lit up but it was because Taylor knocked them off while trying to stop the shot.
Cleary to bowl the last five. Gray fresh to the crease on strike.
George is wearing a giant magnet in the field today. Farrant charges a full ball on fourth stump trying to loft over extra cover, George is now on the off side ring for the left-hander and jogs back to her right to take the easiest and most drama-free of her three catches in this innings.
full on seventh stump, slog sweep to deep midwicket and George relays sharply to Matthews to keep it to one.
Sarah Bryce enters with seven balls left in the match.
tries to repeat the shot to another short and wide ball outside off, but this time it balloons off the splice to extra cover. Simple catch for Luff backpedaling from the ring to her left.
short outside off, cracks a flat-batted swat through the gap between mid-off and extra cover all the way to the rope.
charges and sweeps a full ball on the legs to backward square.
Matthews back for the penultimate set of five from the Vauxhall End. Around the stumps to Farrant.
full toss on the legs at thigh height, Gardner charges and smokes this high and deep over George on the midwicket rope. Invincibles not out of this just yet!
full outside off, reverse sweep fine for a single.
Hennessy joins the act with the brilliant catching for Fire on the ring at mid-off! Full on leg stump, backs away to try to create room for an inside out drive but doesn't time this. Spoons it to Hennessy who claims the catch lunging forward.... or does she! Replays have exposed this as a clearly grassed chance. The ball burst through her hands and she smothered it while tumbling sideways. Her head was turned away from the ball to be fair but replay has done the job it's there for. Not out.
full on the legs, swept to deep backward square for a pair taking on Matthews' arm for the second.
George with a double, triple juggle but holds on at deep midwicket. Villiers charges a full length ball. George with a far simpler effort that the diving catch she clutched onto earlier. Only has to cover 10 yards or so to this skied slog. Gets into position in plenty of time to settle her feet, but that bobbles the ball multiple times before taking it for an adventurous catch.
Smith on around the stumps for her final set.
charges this ball slanted into the legs again, inside edge off the pads to square leg.
good length ball punched through cover for one.
big lbw shout denied! Flighted full and slanted into middle and leg, Farrant misses a flick and the ball caroms away into the ring for one, given as a run off an inside edge.
Matthews switches around the stumps to the new batter Farrant.
length ball on fifth stump, another charge and this time skews a lofted drive to extra cover on the ring. Simple catch shuffling left and falling forward at knee height on the ring.
length ball on sixth stump, Villiers charges and lofts a drive to long-on fielder on one bounce.
Matthews back to bowl her third set of five now.
2W | ||||
Kennington Oval, London | |
Toss | Oval Invincibles (Women), elected to field first |
Series | |
Season | 2021 |
Player Of The Match | |
Match days | 2 August 2021 - day (100-ball match) |
Umpires | |
TV Umpire | |
Reserve Umpire | |
Balls per over | 5 |
Match Referee | |
Points | Welsh Fire (Women) 2, Oval Invincibles (Women) 0 |