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The Hundred: 2023 runners-up Northern Superchargers crash to defeat against Trent Rockets after Alana King's magic ball

Northern Superchargers, beaten finalists in last year's women's competition in The Hundred, slip to defeat against Trent Rockets; Superchargers 103 all out chasing 124 as Alana King bowls Bess Heath with superb leg-break - watch every Hundred game live on Sky Sports

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Trent Rockets' Alana King produced an incredible delivery to dismiss Northern Superchargers' Bess Heath, with Sky Sports' Nick Knight calling it 'the ball of The Hundred'

Last year's Hundred runners-up Northern Superchargers slipped to a 20-run defeat to Trent Rockets at Headingley with a wicket from visiting spinner Alana King earning comparisons to Shane Warne's 'Ball of the Century'.

Superchargers crumbled to 64-8 and were bowled out for 103 chasing 124 to win, with Australian seam bowler Heather Graham taking 3-13 from 15 balls and her compatriot, leg-spinner King, bagging 2-17 from 20.

King's first ball of the match was a stunning leg-break that struck Bess Heath's (0) off stump, with the dismissal not dissimilar to how the late, great Warne removed England's Mike Gatting in the 1993 Ashes Test at Emirates Old Trafford.

Northern Superchargers vs Trent Rockets

Trent Rockets 123-5 from 100 balls: Nat Sciver-Brunt (36no from 34 balls), Grace Scrivens (32 from 22 balls); Annabel Sutherland (3-14 from 20 balls); Linsey Smith (2-23 from 20 balls)

Trent Rockets 103 all out from 97 balls: Lucy Higham (26 off 22 balls); Heather Graham (3-13 from 15 balls), Alana King (2-17 from 20 balls), Nat Sciver-Brunt (2-19 from 17 balls)

Phoebe Litchfield joined Heath in falling for a duck, with only Hollie Armitage (14) and Annabel Sutherland (15) making double figures among Superchargers' top eight batters.

Lucy Higham (26) and Linsey Smith (13) put on 33 for the ninth wicket but Rockets ran out convincing winners.

Bess Heath, Northern Superchargers (PA Images)
Image: Bess Heath was out for a duck during Superchargers' defeat to Rockets at Headingley

Rockets had earlier been held to 123-5 on a dry pitch, with Australia all-rounder Sutherland taking 3-14 for Superchargers and England spinner Smith 2-23 - Smith dismissing Ash Gardner (10) and Graham (0) off successive deliveries to reduce Rockets to 87-4 from 63 balls.

But Nat Sciver-Brunt ground her way to an unbeaten 36 from 34 balls, backing up the fluent 32 off 22 deliveries 20-year-old opener Grace Scrivens had struck up top following her move from London Spirit during the off-season.

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Nat Sciver-Brunt, Trent Rockets (PA Images)
Image: Nat Sciver-Brunt top-scored for Rockets with 36 not out from 34 balls

Player of the Match - Alana King

"[That first delivery to bowl Heath] felt really nice out of the hand. It's a leg-spinner's dream, so I'll take that first pill.

"It was nice to have a bit of turn and grip in the wicket. We saw that the pitch did a lot in the first innings, so we just had to keep our processes really simple.

"I love to have a pitch with a little bit of turn and I was happy to play my part."

What's next?

The Hundred continues on Saturday as London Spirit take on Birmingham Phoenix at Lord's.

The women's match (2.55pm on air, 3pm first ball) is live on Sky Sports Mix and via a free live stream on skysports.com, the Sky Sports app and on the Sky Sports Cricket YouTube channel.

The men's game starts at 6.30pm with build-up beginning at 6pm on Sky Sports Mix. There will also be coverage on Sky Sports Cricket from around 6.30pm, once day three of the England vs West Indies Test match has finished.

Sky Sports will show all 68 games in The Hundred live, while you can also watch selected matches via free streams on Sky Sports' digital platforms and the Sky Sports Cricket YouTube channel.

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