The Hundred: Naomi Dattani, Deepti Sharma set up London Spirit win over Birmingham Phoenix
Eve Jones' innings of 47 from 41 balls proved to be in vain for the Birmingham Phoenix as they lost their Hundred opener to London Spirit at Edgbaston; Naomi Dattani hit 34 and Deepti Sharma 28 for Spirit
Friday 23 July 2021 19:04, UK
London Spirit got off to a winning start in The Hundred, triumphing by three wickets against Birmingham Phoenix with four balls to spare at Edgbaston.
STORY OF THE MATCH
London Spirit picked up early wickets with pace off the ball but, as Nasser Hussain put it, they then struggled to 'keep up with the Joneses', with Phoenix skipper Amy and namesake Eve sharing a partnership of 64 from 41 balls.
Amy struck 33 from 17, while left-hander Eve top-scored with 47 from 41, but Birmingham never quite pressed hard on the accelerator and had to settle what looked a below-par total of 128.
Naomi Dattani gave Spirit the perfect springboard to their reply by blasting 34 from 19 in the powerplay, including three consecutive fours and a six off Emily Arlott.
Captain Heather Knight added a brisk 21, but Arlott struck back with two wickets in three balls to set nerves jangling in the visitors' camp and they then lost another straight away, with Deepti Sharma holing out for 28.
But Amara Carr (11 not out) and Danielle Gibson, who hit both the balls she faced for four, held their nerve to guide Spirit home with four balls to spare.
MASSIVE MOMENT
Phoenix's Erin Burns thought she had seen the back of Sharma after striking her on the pad as she attempted to sweep.
But the Indian left-hander survived despite Burns' review, with the TV umpire adjudging the decision 'too close to call' and took advantage to score 28 from 24, keeping the visitors on track for victory.
MATCH HERO
Dattani's innings at the top of the order was crucial for London Spirit, ensuring they had a platform that kept them ahead of the game in their run chase.
The left-hander was promoted to open the innings after Spirit were forced to take the field without England's Tammy Beaumont, isolating due to Covid-19 protocols.
SPECIAL DELIVERY
Phoenix batter Shafali Verma was just starting to look dangerous, with successive fours off Dattani, when she was utterly bamboozled by a magnificent slower ball from Freya Davies.
The seamer was the pick of Spirit's bowling attack, conceding just 19 from 20 and sent down one out of the back of her hand that Verma failed to pick, watching helplessly as it took out her leg stump.
OOPS!
The visitors' fielding left much to be desired and, unfortunately for Davies, this was not such an impressive example of her talents as she shelled a sitter on the boundary, gifting Amy Jones a six in the process.
The Birmingham captain, who struck 33 off 17, was in full flow and punched Sharma's short ball towards Davies deep square leg - only for it to squirm through the fielder's hands and fly over the rope.
WHAT THEY SAID
Birmingham Phoenix captain Amy Jones:
"It was a great atmosphere and a good game for the people watching, I guess, but it was really disappointing to lose because we had looked forward to this game for such a long time. We just didn't play our best.
"It did feel like anybody's game near the end because we took some wickets and built some pressure, but we didn't always bowl to our field and that cost us."
London Spirit all-rounder Deepti Sharma:
"It was great to start the tournament with a win. I have been really looked forward to this competition and everyone in our team played really well so I am very happy.
"I really enjoyed batting out there and showing what I can do. The atmosphere in the ground was very good so I just had to keep clear in my mind what I needed to do."
WHAT'S NEXT?
It's Super Saturday, with not just two Hundred clashes but four spread across the day!
Trent Rockets and Southern Brave kick things off, with games at 11am and 2.30pm.
The Women's Hundred Live
The Hundred Live
Also at 2.30pm, Northern Superchargers and Welsh Fire will get their double-header under way, with the second game at 6pm.
Watch live on Sky Sports The Hundred and Main Event, as well as the Sky Sports Cricket YouTube channel, from 10.30am, with the first Superchargers vs Fire game available via the red button.
Watch The Hundred live on Sky Sports this summer!
