Ryana MacDonald-Gays figures of 4-17 lead Manchester Super Giants to a statement-of-intent victory, brushing aside a toothless London Spirit by seven wickets with 41 balls to spare.
The tactical battle between the two captains was going to be one to keep an eye on, especially in the short format where every decision carries extra weight. Charlie Dean, earmarked as a future England captain, was up against Meg Lanning – one of the game’s true all-format greats and a multiple World Cup winner with Australia. Lanning won the first exchange, winning the toss and choosing to field.
The Spirit Start Awfully
That proved to be a good decision. The Spirit lost wickets rapidly and found themselves 28-5, in a lot of trouble. The top three of Grace Harris, Amy Jones and Marie Kelly fell for a combined total of five. Spirit’s batters never recovered from that horrific start, and the Super Giants’ bowlers and batters both delivered the kind of complete performance a title-chasing side would want to open a season with. It will also go some way to easing the pain of missing out on the eliminator on net run rate last season.
In the battle of the Graces up top, Harris, having hit a glorious lofted straight drive, was dismissed by Ballinger, caught at mid-on trying to repeat the shot. Amy Jones, the experienced England wicket-keeper, was out first ball.
The Spirit fans and dressing room were looking to Marizanne Kapp to get them out of trouble, but she could only provide light relief, top-scoring at the time with 17.
Super Giants Superb With The Ball
The Super Giants’ bowling attack was relentless. All five bowlers got among the wickets, with Ryana MacDonald-Gay the pick of them, finishing with figures of 4-17, just shy of her career best, as she ripped the heart out of the Spirit line-up, dismissing the three, four and five batters. Predictably, Mady Villiers and England’s greatest ever spinner, Sophie Ecclestone, got in on the act too. Grace Ballinger even managed a maiden, unusual in this format, her figures an impressive 1-9 off her 20 balls.
It was left to Nadine de Klerk and Charlie Dean to try to get the home side to a score approaching respectability. The Hundred has been valuable for Dean’s development, not just as a player but as a leader. Having captained London Spirit last season, she deputised for the injured Nat Sciver-Brunt as England’s vice-captain at the recent T20 World Cup. That leadership was needed more than ever here. However, Dean was run out for 14, a good stop and throw from the covers by Lanning, who then completed her second run-out of the innings, this time removing Josie Groves.
Those dismissals summed up a thoroughly miserable innings for the Spirit, all out for 80 in 91 balls.
Having been named women’s cricketer of the year in 2018 and 2021, Smriti Mandhana, who has only played for Southern Brave in previous editions of the competition, missed the competition last year but walk out to open for the Super Giants.
The Super Giants Knock Off The Runs Easily
Therefore, the Spirit needed her wicket early, meaning Dean opted to bowl Marizanne Kapp out upfront. The Spirit were perhaps unlucky not to pick up an early wicket after some miscued edges landed safely. However, South Africa’s experienced all-rounder, having dismissed Mandhana LBW after review and Grace Scrivens for a first-ball duck, found herself on a hat-trick. That left the Super Giants requiring 48 from 71 balls with eight wickets in hand.
Meg Lanning got her side most of the way to the small total with a well-constructed 21 before being dismissed by Hannah Rainey, who had been drafted into the squad as an injury replacement for Phoebe Turner. Lanning attempted to turn a delivery off her legs but instead got a leading edge, where Grace Harris took the simplest of catches at mid-wicket.
Paige Scholfield and Richa Ghosh’s partnership of 29 completed the easiest of away victories. Scholfield finished the game with a brutal slog sweep for six. The Super Giants had produced the perfect all-round performance and certainly look to have one of the best sides in the women’s competition.
For Dean’s side, it was a performance to forget. Fortunately for them, the games come quickly in the Hundred, and they will hope to put this performance behind them before they travel to Trent Bridge on Sunday.
