For all the fans who miss Perry or Raj on the field, we recommend Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. We caution them as they could be pleasantly surprised by the game demonstrated by the young girls on English soil.
Recently, Northern Diamonds were facing Thunder. Diamonds were batting first and it was the batsmanship from Alex MacDonald that stole the show. While she was just eight runs short of a century, she posted her best knock at the domestic settings in six years.
She took her team to a dominating 248 off 8 wickets from the allotted 50 overs. In her innings, she got 10 fours and 2 sixes off the legside. It took her 110 deliveries to reach 92 run stand. Diamonds were decent in defending the total. The pitch felt slow and was low as well. The side got their fourth successive victory. With 18 points, they are top of the North Group.
Thunders, on the other hand, were restricted to a total of 175 after 8 overs. The performance of leg spinner Katie Levick stood out as she took 3 wickets in exchange for mere 22 runs. Macdonald was handy with the ball too and got a wicket for her side. If Diamonds get a win under their belt against Central Sparks at Emerald Headingley on Sunday, they will fox their spot in the final scheduled on the 27th this month.
It is interesting to note that after being told to bat first, Diamonds struggled initially as they had only 57 on the board with 4 wickets down. Alice Dyson from Thunders got two wickets at the start. Macdonald led the recovery plans for her side and was supported nicely by Phoebe Graham, Jenny Gunn, and Bess Heath. All of them got out in their 20s though.
Macdonald was given the chance when she was on duck and her catch was dropped at square leg. In reply, Thunders lost wickets at regular intervals and were devoid of making any serious impact on the game. This was the straight consecutive defeat for the side. All the top batters for the side had made their way to Pavillion before the inning reached the halfway mark.
They were 69 after losing 4 wickets in 21st over. The partnership between Laura Jackson and Danielle Collins was growing and had got 28 runs when Macdonald got her first wicket of the day. Thunders were mere 97 and had lost half of their side and proper batters were not in sight.
Diamonds would look to keep things as smooth as they are and won’t be looking to try something extra as they march their way to the penultimate finale. Thunders, on the other hand, will have a lot to ponder upon.
A student who enjoys studying cricket more than anything else, keen to learn the insights of the women’s game.