The London versus Manchester clash took place on 10th August 2021 at the Emirates Old Trafford Ground. This was a crucial match for both teams due to their positions being in the bottom half of the ranking table. London’s rank was 5th with just two wins from 5 matches played while the Manchester team was at the bottom with a solitary win through DLS method. Winning this match would help London sustain their chance of making it to the semi-finals.
Southern Brave, on the other hand, is heading three points clear at the top after winning against the Superchargers and right now, looking as the favorite team per SportsBettingDime.com
Let’s see how the match unfolded between London Spirit and Manchester Originals
1st Innings
The match started with the toss which landed in favor of the Manchester women who chose to bat first. The openers were Lizelle Lee and Emma Lamb who would face Charlotte Dean’s bowling in the first set of five balls. Throughout the 4 sets played together, Lizelle could not score a single run and played only 7 balls in total after which she was outed by Deepti Sharma by way of LBW. Emma did most of the work in the start and contributed the highest score of 39 runs off 30 balls. Following her, Mignon Du Preez and Sophie Eccleston also reasonably contributed to the team score. However, none of the batswomen could reach the half-century mark despite showing a good performance. In the London Spirit’s bowling line, Deepti Sharma was the highest wicket-taker with 2 wickets taken. Captain Knight also managed to take one wicket. However, the London bowlers could not hold back the important players in Manchester’s batting line-up due to which the score they had to chase totalled to 127 runs.
2nd Innings
The second inning was opened by London Spirit’s wicket-keeper and batter Tammy Beaumont who was accompanied by all-rounder Naomi Dattani. Skipper Kate Cross took up the bowling responsibility in the first set and proved to be a reliable captain by eliminating star batter Tammy on the second ball itself. The London skipper Heather Knight then made her entry to challenge the Manchester bowlers. With considerable support from Naomi and then Deandra Dottin Knight scored the most runs for her team with a score of 35 runs off 26 balls. Dottin as well significantly contributed but could not reach the 30-run mark. Due to a good performance put up by Captain Knight and Dottin, Deepti Sharman and Charlie Dean wrapped up the match with ease, adding 34 and 12 more runs to the team score. The London Spirit women scored a total of 131 runs and won by 5 wickets.
Despite their star batter Tammy being eliminated instantly, Captain Knight and Dottin kept up the team spirit by building a good foundation. However, the crucial partnership between these two players was broken at an important time in the match which once again built up pressure. Then Deepti Sharma came to the rescue and sealed the win by smashing the deliveries of the Manchester women. Her amazing performance earned her the Player of the Match title. The Manchester bowling line had a good start due to captain Kate but could not keep the London batswomen in check in the later sets. Finally, with this disappointing defeat, the Manchester Originals Women’s squad ended their Hundred campaign.
All-round show from Deepti Sharma keeps the London Spirit alive. #TheHundred pic.twitter.com/W2mbrfD9uq
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) August 10, 2021
