Kia Womens Cricket Super League 2019 Results and Reactions August 18th

All the results and reactions from the latest round of Kia Women’s Cricket Super League 2019 matches today….

Southern Vipers v Surrey Stars Arundel Castle, Arundel

Match Summary

Southern Vipers 178 - 5

Surrey Stars 89

Result - Southern Vipers won by 89 runs

The Vipers were only on 29 out of powerplay and 68 at the halfway point, but Wyatt went through the gears and Suzie Bates found some timing.

Wyatt reached her fifty in 32 balls, the second time past the milestone this season, brought up with slog-sweep maximum.

It was one of a tournament-high seven sixes in Wyatt’s swashbuckling innings, with nine four played all around the park, but mostly coming down the ground through the V.

She put on 109 with Bates, Vipers first-ever century opening partnership, before the New Zealander was caught at long-off by Nat Sciver for 39.

That seemed to set Wyatt loose, as she thrashed 17 and 23 off consecutive Sciver and Laura Marsh overs – with an impeccable straight-six bringing up her maximum in 56 balls.

The century was the second-fastest in KSL history and was only behind Bates’ 119 in 2017 in term of runs.

Wyatt did depart when Sciver bowled her, with every Surrey player running over to shake her hand, before van Niekerk’s treble – which consisted of Stefanie Taylor and debutant Marie Kelly being bowled and Maia Bouchier caught behind.

In their chase of 179, Surrey lost Bryony Smith in the second over, bowled by Tash Farrant, before fellow opener Lizelle Lee was caught at square leg in the fourth over.

Skipper Sciver was castled by Farrant and van Niekerk was lbw to Fi Morris as the Stars never got going.

Stefanie Taylor had Sarah Taylor stumped, after a fumble by Tammy Beaumont, and Aylish Cranstone bowled next ball to leave the visitors floundering on 70 for six.

Marsh holed out to deep square leg, Mady Villiers was run out, Gwenan Davies was yorked and Marizanne Kapp was caught on the boundary to confirm the victory for the Vipers.

Southern Vipers batter Danni Wyatt:

“I am chuffed. I thought it was a tricky wicket. Me and Suzie struggled a bit in the first few over but we said to each other that we needed to back each other and slog it really.

“I came off the pitch thinking ‘wow, how did I manage that’.

“I was wondering about which bat to use today, I wasn’t happy with that bat in the nets yesterday – I gave it one last chance and now I’ll be using it for the rest of the season.

“Kapp bowled well at the top, when I saw here come back for the third over of the powerplay I was annoyed as I wanted some spin.

“I think it got easier as the innings went on, and anything up and full I but my hands through it.

“It is up there with my best hundreds. This is my first in the KSL and to get it in front of this crowd was special.

“To come out and beat Surrey by almost 100 runs is a big statement from us but we are just taking each game as it comes.”

 

Surrey Stars captain Nat Sciver:

“When you face someone with the class of Danni Wyatt and she gets off to a start then you can’t really contain them.

“I thought we started well, we had a good powerplay, but we were missing the wickets which we have been able to get in the last three games.

“I said to the team afterwards that I thought we were in the game for the whole of our fielding innings – we didn’t put our heads down and we were on it for much longer.

“We were thinking when we were batting what they were on at that stage and you felt in the game but not taking those wickets makes it easier for them.

“We needed luck and a good start to get into the chase and we didn’t have any partnerships which hurt us.

“It is difficult to set a field for Wyatt; she hits it past the fielders and over the outfielder’s heads!

“We have seen it before for England and I am really pleased for her that she was able to show everyone here what she is made of.”

Lancashire Thunder v Western Storm Chester Boughton Hall CC, Chester

Match Summary

Lancashire Thunder 159 - 8

Western Storm 160 - 5

Result - Western Storm won by 5 wickets

Western Storm continued their perfect start to the Kia Super League with a thrilling five-wicket win over winless Lancashire Thunder at Chester Boughton Hall. 

Smriti Mandhana’s superb 72 from just 43 balls was the mainstay of the Storm’s successful chase of 160 as the 2017 champions made it six wins from six.

Deepti Sharma struck the winning boundary off the penultimate ball. 

Harmanpreet Kaur earlier made a half-century for Lancashire, sharing an 85-run stand with Tahlia McGrath, but it ultimately was not enough to secure victory.

Mandhana and Rachel Priest got Storm’s chase off to a flyer, reaching 39 in the fifth over. Priest hit Kate Cross for a six straight down the ground before the England seamer responded as Priest was caught by Kaur for 19.

But Mandhana’s innings was effortlessly brilliant. She scored all round the ground, demonstrating power and timing to take 16 from Sophie Ecclestone in the sixth over to end the power play at 57 for one. 

The left-hander’s half-century came from just 27 balls, with eight fours and that six, and she just kept going. 

The number one ranked one-day international batter in the world put on 67 with Heather Knight - the England captain contributing just 11 before she was caught in the deep off Ecclestone in the 13th over. 

At 106 for two, that breakthrough gave Lancashire hope. And they built on that as Emma Lamb got the key wicket of Mandhana for 72, caught by Kaur on the boundary to leave Storm 119 for three in the 15th over. 

Alex Hartley then dismissed Fran Wilson for 14 and Lancashire were right in the contest, with Storm requiring 32 from the final 24 balls. 

But Sharma (23) saw the visitors home with the winning boundary coming off Cross’ penultimate delivery of the match.

Sophie Ecclestone, Lancashire Thunder

It is frustrating, we are getting so close. Obviously we drew the last game and we just can’t seem to get the win but hopefully we can bring it back and get the win on the board. 

It’s frustrating when one or two don’t go to hand (close catches off Mandhana) but it’s the game really and she is a really good player. We just have to take those chances when they come. 

It was a really slow pitch, you feel you have to wait for the ball. But it was a good high-scoring game. 

The catch (Griffiths taking Harmanpreet Kaur) was a good catch and obviously getting the few quick wickets they got, we just needed that person to bat through. Tahlia (McGrath) batted really well, anchored the innings, so we just need a bit more of that. 

On keeping confidence in the group…

We have got such a good group of girls, we are so close as a unit and I know we just want to play for each other and play to win the game of cricket. We just take it one game at a time and hopefully we can win the next one. 

Really looking forward to the game at Old Trafford (against Loughborough on Tuesday), we love playing at our own ground, it’s good for the girls. So we can’t wait. 

Heather Knight, Western Storm captain

We just keep finding a way to win. I don’t think we have put together a complete performance yet in all three facets. I don’t think we played our best cricket today but we just got into the habit of winning which is quite nice and different people contributing. 

On Smriti Mandhana’s innings…

It’s great to watch, best seat in the house. The pitch was a little bit slow as well and she made it look very easy. She’s found form in the last two games for us. Her and Rachel (Priest) are key for us at the top of the order, getting us off to starts so delighted for them and for Deepti (Sharma) at the end because she hasn’t had much of a chance yet. 

I feel for Lancs a bit, we’ve had a few close ones against them and we seem to come out on top every time. Getting towards the business end of the competition it’s nice (to win close ones)

On Alex Griffith’s catch of Harmanpreet Kaur...

Harman was going very well and taking the game away from us a little bit. She actually misjudged it dreadfully, it should have been a fairly easy catch. But glad she snaffled it in the end. She’s a young talent, very good in the field. 

I thought Anya bowled well today, the spinners were good again so there have been lots of people contributing. You need that in T20. 

On Surrey on Wednesday…

We haven’t played Surrey yet so that’s going to be a big clash for us. We have the Vipers as well and Surrey again. We have a few big games coming up. Looks like those two teams are likely to make the finals as well so if we can perform well against them it will be great. 

Surrey were a bit of a bogey team for us last year so hopefully we can do well. 

Loughborough Lightning v Yorkshire Diamonds Haslegrave Ground, Loughborough

Match Summary

Loughborough Lightning 135 - 4

Yorkshire Diamonds 129

Result - Loughborough Lightning won by 6 wickets

Loughborough Lightning completed a third win in four matches to move ahead of Surrey Stars into third place in the Kia Super League, winning a low-scoring contest by six wickets with five balls to spare.

South African star Mignon du Preez produced the match-winning innings for the second match running, following her 70 not out against Stars last week with an unbeaten 38 here, striking four sixes.

Indian teenager Jemimah Rodrigues top scored with 58 for the Diamonds, but a total of 129 all out from their 20 overs proved too little in the end, even though their bowlers did their best to defend it by taking the contest into the final over, former England seamer Beth Langston conceding only 17 from her four overs.

Lightning took the upper hand early after Yorkshire had won the toss and opted to bat, the visitors losing both openers in the Powerplay overs in making 32.  Lauren Winfield drove Jenny Gunn straight to Georgia Adams at mid-off before West Indies all-rounder Hayley Matthews was rewarded for two tidy overs when Alyssa Healy holed out to deep midwicket, where Lucy Higham pouched a good catch after waiting for a towering shot to come down again.

Hollie Armitage, who had struggled against Matthews’s off breaks in the Powerplay, fared no better against Kirstie Gordon, the left-arm spinner, whose sixth delivery bowled her, Diamonds reaching the halfway point at 55 for three.

Rodrigues and Alice Davidson-Richards steadied the ship, adding 35 in six overs, but a breakdown in communications cost the latter her wicket after Rodrigues set off for a quick single off Gordon, Sarah Glenn’s throw from short backward square running the non-striker out comfortably.

The 18-year-old Rodrigues completed her half-century off 34 balls, having struck four boundaries, but lost another partner when Bess Heath miscued Bryce to mid-off before her fine innings ended when she found the hands of Matthews at deep midwicket.

She fell during a chaotic last two overs of the Diamonds innings, which saw 14 runs added but five wickets lost, three of them run out. In the midst of that, Matthews bowled Langston to finish with two for 19, her economy bettered only by Gordon, who took one for 14 from her four overs.

In reply, Lightning openers Matthews and Amy Jones picked up boundaries in five of the first six overs to be comfortably ahead of the game at 40 without loss, before Matthews missed one from leg spinner Katie Levick that kept low.

A tight three overs by the lively left-armer Katie George put the brake on a little. Nonetheless, Lightning looked well placed at 58 for one at the halfway point, although they stumbled in the 13th over as Chamari Atapattu was run out and Jones caught behind off consecutive balls from Langston, leaving two new batters at the crease with 56 still needed.

The pressure was eased somewhat when George’s final over went for 14, including a six by Du Preez over the longest boundary, leaving Lightning needed 34 off the final five overs, although Du Preez had been given a let-off on seven when George could not hold on to what would have been a good return catch.

The South Africans struck her second maximum off New Zealand off-spinner Leigh Kasparek and a third off Levick, either side of ex-Lightning left-arm spinner Linsey Smith dismissing her former captain, Georgia Elwiss, finishing the match by clouting Smith for her fourth six from the first ball of the final over.

 

Loughborough Lightning v Yorkshire Diamonds quotes

Lightning head coach Rob Taylor:

“After two wins from three matches on the road, we were very keen to get a first victory at home after losing our first two here and we did that really well.

“We controlled the game pretty well in the first half and though there were areas in which we could have been better to keep a side to just under 130 you can be pretty happy and we were always confident we could overhaul that.

“Although it was a good wicket, we have had a lot of rain the last few days and I was pleased with the way we adapted to it.

“Rodrigues played really nicely but our bowlers never got flustered I don’t think we ever allowed her to get away from us.

“And then we had another stand-out performance from Mignon du Preez, who just keeps performing and has shown what a great touch she has as well as elements of how powerful she can be, hitting the biggest six of the day into the wind to the longest boundary.”

Yorkshire head coach Dani Hazell:

“I felt we were 15 or 20 short on the board and it is a tough one to take.

“We fought pretty well with the ball, and I was pleased for Beth Langston, who came in and did really well.

“And Jemimah has played really well. She has probably shown that over the last few games where she has got 20s and 30s and we were looking for her to push on and get to 50s like she has today.

“It was probably key that she got out with two three overs to go when maybe she could have pushed us up to 150.

“But all credit to her. She’s been very good around the group and the girls have really enjoyed learning from her.

“It was a good show of fight from the girls to try to defend that score but at the end of the day we are in a tournament and trying to win games and it’s no points for us today.

“We have to get ready to go down to Guildford with it getting pretty close to being win-or-out.”

©Cricket World 2019