Ryana MacDonald-Gay’s 4-fer Powers Manchester Super Giants to a Statement Win against London Spirit in their campaign opener.
London Spirit, led by skipper Charlie Dean, were up against the re-branded Manchester Super Giants (formerly Manchester Originals), led by skipper Meg Lanning at iconic Lord’s, London, in the 3rd match of the ongoing 6th edition of the Women’s Hundred on 23rd July 2026.
The Sophie Molineux-led Southern Brave stunned the Welsh Fire, led by skipper Sophie Devine, with a come-from-behind 8-run win at Southampton on 22nd July 2026.
Marizanne Kapp, Nadine de Klerk, Grace Harris and, Hannah Rainey were the 4 overseas players featuring for the London Spirit in their campaign opener. Wicket-keeper batter Richa Ghosh, Smriti Mandhana and all-rounders Maitlan Brown and Scotland skipper Kathryn Bryce, alongside skipper Meg Lanning, were the overseas quota featuring for the re-branded Manchester Super Giants.
Pacers Rattle the London Spirit
The Super Giants’ new-ball bowlers removed both the openers in the first couple of sets, after skipper Meg Lanning won the toss and opted to field first at Lord’s. Marizanne Kapp (17 off 12 balls) tried her best to inject momentum into the innings by smashing a couple of maximums and a boundary in her knock. However, unfortunately for the home side, her stay didn’t last long enough, as MacDonald-Gay came in the 5th set of the innings and ended her stay at the crease to provide the 4th breakthrough for her side.
The innings never really got the momentum for the London Spirit as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were unable to get to terms with the conditions on offer. A 20-run stand for the 6th wicket between Charis Pavely (13 off 9 balls) and Nadine de Klerk (10 off 18 balls), followed by another 20-run stand alongside skipper Charlie Dean (14 off 17 balls), took them past the 50-run mark.
The London Spirit were eventually bundled out for 80, their joint lowest total in the history of the Women’s Hundred, leaving 9 balls unutilised in the innings. Ryana MacDonald-Gay (16-8-17-4), Sophie Ecclestone (20-15-7-1), and Grace Ballinger (20-17-9-1) were exceptional with the ball for Manchester Super Giants. Maddy Villiers (15-6-17-1) played her part with the ball for her side.
Richa Ghosh and Paige Scholfield finish off run-chase
Chasing a target of 81, the Manchester Super Giants’ legendary opening duo of skipper Meg Lanning and Smriti Mandhana got their side off to a steady start with a 33-run opening stand. Marizanne Kapp, on her London Spirit debut, brought her side back into the contest by dismissing Smriti Mandhana (17 off 14 balls) and Grace Scrivens for a golden duck on consecutive deliveries in the final set of her spell in the contest.
Paige Scholfield joined skipper Meg Lanning at the crease, and the pair took them past the 50-run mark with a crucial 24-run stand for the 2nd wicket. Hannah Rainey got the big scalp of the opposition skipper Meg Lanning (21 off 24 balls) in the 8th set of the run chase to provide the 3rd breakthrough for the home side.
Wicket-keeper batter Richa Ghosh (15* off 5 balls) joined Paige Scholfield (22* off 15 balls) at the crease, and the pair took the Spirit bowlers to the cleaners and guided them over the line with an unbeaten 29-run stand for the 4th wicket. Manchester Super Giants got over the line with 7 wickets in hand and 41 balls to spare.
Marizanne Kapp (20-11-18-2) and Hannah Rainey (5-2-5-1) were the only wicket-takers with the ball for London Spirit. Skipper Charlie Dean (10-6-8-0) was impressive in her spell with the ball for her side. Ryana MacDonald-Gay was awarded the Player of the Match as she played a decisive role in dismantling the Spirit’s batting unit with a 4-wicket haul (16-8-17-4) in her spell in the first innings as the Super Giants sealed a memorable win at the iconic Lord’s to start their campaign with a win.
I am Yash Tailor, and I believe work should be driven by passion. Therefore, after completing my Engineering, I chose to work in the Cricket industry, my passion. My goal is to reach a stage where I truly enjoy what I do and give my best to every task with energy and purpose.