The Central Districts led by skipper and wicket-keeper batter Natalie Dodd had a season to forget last time around as they finished at the bottom of the table with a solitary victory against the Northern Districts led by skipper Sam Curtis. The Central Districts ended their season on a high with a 7-wicket victory in their last league game.
The Central Districts will be keen to bounce back in the upcoming edition of Super Smash that gets underway on 19th December 2023. They have strengthened their batting unit by roping in the 26-year rising star from England, Hollie Armitage for the upcoming edition of the league. She was recently a part of the England A squad that took on India A for a three-match T20 series.
She had a good outing in the T20 series, scoring 92 runs (52, 13, and 27) at an average of 30.6. Her tally of runs included one half-century in the 1st T20. Apart from her exploits with the bat, she also has the ability to chip in with the ball with her handy leg-spin.
She was also a part of the Northern Diamonds in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. She was the second-highest run-scorer for the Northern Diamonds, scoring 384 runs, scoring at a strike rate of 85.33 and an impressive average of 32. Her tally of runs included 1 half-century and a century. Her best performance with the bat for the Northern Diamonds came on 5th September 2023 when she led from the front scoring an unbeaten 106 against the Southern Vipers led by skipper Georgia Adams. She also represented the Northern Superchargers in the third edition of the women’s version of the Hundred. She scored 167 runs in 9 innings at a strike rate of 102.45.
England's Hollie Armitage and Pakistan's Fatima Sana join forces, adding flair to Central Hinds and Canterbury Magicians.#CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/PUArczLmTR
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) December 19, 2023
The Canterbury Magicians led by skipper Amy Satterthwaite finished at the number 3 position in the points table with 24 points from 10 games that included 6 victories and 4 defeats in the league stages. However, they eventually, were crowned as the champions of the Super Smash last year. They defeated Wellington women led by skipper Leigh Kasperek by 12 runs in the final. They have added the 22-year-old rising star from Pakistan to their squad for the upcoming edition of the Super Smash.
She recently played a pivotal role with the ball for Pakistan in helping the visitors seal a historic, first-ever series victory in the T20I series against New Zealand. She was awarded the Player of the Series was her brilliant performance with the ball as she picked up 6 wickets in the series. She also played a crucial role with the bat in the 2nd ODI as she scored an unbeaten 90 off 104 balls with the bat and also picked up (2/52) with the ball.