The fifth match of the Hundred will be played between London Spirit and Oval Invincibles on July 25 at Lord’s, London. Both the teams are fresh from a win against Birmingham Phoenix and Manchester Originals respectively. It will be interesting to see who continues their winning streak, given the fact that both the teams are equally talented and have some firepower in their line-ups.
Squads
London Spirit: Tammy Beaumont, Deepti Sharma, Heather Knight (c), Deandra Dottin, Chloe Tryon, Freya Davies, Amara Carr, Aylish Cranstone, Naomi Dattani, Charlie Dean, Danielle Gibson, Grace Scrivens, Sophie Munro, Susie Rowe, Alice Monaghan
Oval Invincibles: Georgia Adams, Fran Wilson, Alice Capsey, Joanne Gardner, Dane van Niekerk (c), Sarah Bryce, Rhinaana Southby, Tash Farrant, Grace Gibbs, Eva Gray, Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp, Megan Belt, Danielle Gregory, Mady Villiers
Players to watch out for
Dane van Niekerk (Oval Invincibles):
The South African all-rounder had a wonderful outing against Manchester Originals in the first match when she contributed with both bat and ball. She bowled three sets giving away just 16 runs. Though she did not pick up any wickets, she was effective with her disciplined leg spins. With the bat, she scored an unbeaten 56 and guided her home to a win, chasing 136 under pressure. She stitched a 73-run partnership with her countrymate Marizanne Kapp to see the team home.
Marizanne Kapp (Oval Invincibles):
Just like van Niekerk, Kapp had a good first game in the Hundred. The right hand bat and right arm seamer had a lion’s share in the team’s win over Manchester Originals. She opened the bowling and picked up 2-20 bowling her full quota of four sets. With the bat, she chipped in with a quickfire 38 which came off just 27 balls. She smashed three boundaries and a couple of sixes in her entertaining knock.
Deepti Sharma (London Spirit):
The talented all-rounder from India played a pivotal part in her team’s win over Birmingham Phoenix. Her contributions with both bat and ball did a world of good to her team’s cause. She opened the bowling and kept her Indian counterpart Shafali Verma quiet, building pressure in the mind of the 17-year old number 1 T20I batter. She picked up 1-26 in her four sets. With the bat, coming in at number 4, she scored 28 off 24 balls, including three boundaries.
Naomi Dattani (London Spirit):
The left-hand opening bat hit some powerful strokes in her 19-ball cameo in which she mustered 34, smashing four boundaries and a six. She was the top scorer for the side and provided a much-needed solid start to the run chase. She also bowled left-arm quick, though just one set. She gave away 10 runs, however after that was not brought back to the attack. Dattani has been an experienced English county player and during her first game in the Hundred, it was refreshing to see her perform against some of the best in the business.
Weather conditions
It is a 11am (local) start at the Lord’s in London. The weather does not look too good as there are forecasts of light showers between 9am and 2pm. There is around 50% chance of rain during the aforementioned time period. The temperature is in the range of 21 and 23 degrees celsius.
Pitch
It is a good wicket for batting. The average score at the venue is 146 (based on 9 men’s T20Is). Teams batting first have won 5 out of the 9 games. The pitch which is known to have a bit of grass can also assist the seam bowlers.
Average 1st innings score: 156 (max score: 199 and min score: 128)
Average 2nd innings score: 136 (max score: 163 and min score: 93)
Fantasy playing XI
Sarah Bryce (wk), Tammy Beaumont, Heather Knight, Naomi Dattani, Georgia Adams, Marizanne Kapp, Deandra Dottin, Dane van Niekerk, Tash Farrant, Mady Villiers, Danielle Gregory
I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.
