The Hundred: Georgia Adams guides Oval Invincibles to win that eliminates London Spirit
Oval Invincibles beat London Spirit with 13 balls to spare at the Kia Oval to bolster their hopes of making The Hundred Eliminator; Spirit's chances of making the knockout stage are over after Georgia Adams guided the Invincibles to a comprehensive win
Saturday 14 August 2021 19:32, UK
A one-sided London derby saw Oval Invincibles come out on top to end London Spirit's hopes of making the top three...
STORY OF THE MATCH
Oval Invincibles claimed a thumping derby win over London Spirit to eliminate their city rivals from The Hundred and boost their own hopes of making the Eliminator.
The Invincibles were excellent in the field and held their nerve in the face of a promising partnership between England stars Tammy Beaumont (42 from 34 balls) and Heather Knight (34 from 29) before finishing strongly and restricting the Spirit to 103 from their 100 balls.
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Chasing a modest total, the home side were in no rush and despite losing captain Dane van Niekerk early, the result never looked in doubt with Georgia Adams (37no from 34) holding it all together and, with the help of Fran Wilson (22 from 21) and Marianne Kapp (23no from 20), they cruised over the line with 13 balls to spare.
Spirit's hopes of qualifying are now over, while the Invincibles strengthen their grip on second place.
MATCH HERO
This really was a team effort from the Invincibles but if there was a standout, it was Adams. The opener kept her cool throughout the run chase, finding the boundary on five occasions but, just as importantly, rotated the strike smartly to just keep the score ticking over.
Adams' composure meant Spirit captain Knight was never able to build any pressure, crucial when defending such a low total, and meant the hosts were never in danger of losing their vice-like grip on the game.
It has long been thought that Adams will make the step up to international cricket and a match-winning knock in front of the England skipper certainly won't harm her chances.
FANTASTIC FIELDING
The Invincibles were on it in the field at the Kia Oval. They caught well, their ground fielding was excellent but what really got the crowd on their feet was a pair of run outs - both direct hits.
The first of them, from Joanne Gardner, was not just an excellent piece of fielding - tearing in from mid-off, collecting the ball cleanly and throwing down the stumps - it also came at a critical time and got rid of a very dangerous batter. Beaumont was starting to up the scoring rate and with her gone, Spirit's momentum ground to a halt.
Not wanting to be outdone, Grace Gibbs repeated the trick at the beginning of the last set of five, running Charlotte Dean out by a long way to ensure there would be no big finish for the visitors.
WHAT THEY SAID
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Hundred Live
The Hundred Live
It's another double-header on Sunday as Trent Rockets face Manchester Originals at Trent Bridge. The Rockets need wins in both the men's and women's competitions as they push to try and reach the Eliminator. Watch from 3pm on Sky Sports Mix.
Watch The Hundred live on Sky Sports between now and August 21.
