Smriti Mandhana smashes Super League's first ton
India's Smriti Mandhana is in stunning form as she scored the first century of the KIA Super League off just 60 deliveries. The Western Storm batswoman scored 102, helping her team chase down Lancashire Thunder's 153 with 10 balls to spare. She had earlier slammed the joint-fastest fifty in the history of women's T20. Here's more!
Lancashire put in a commendable shift
Coming out to bat first, Lancashire put up a decent total of 153. Satterthwaite was the outstanding performer for the home team, scoring 85 runs off 57 balls with 11 fours and 3 sixes. However, she did not receive much support from her team mates. Interestingly, India's T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who plays for Lancashire, got out on a duck.
Mandhana's bat does the talking for Western Storm
Western Storm did not get off to a good start. The opener Rachel Priest got out scoring just 5 while their captain Heather Knight had scored 8 when she was caught out. However, Mandhana held on as she scored a brilliant ton. Her knock included 4 sixes and 12 fours, the last of which brought up her century.
How does the KIA Super League table look now?
After this win, the defending champions, Western Storm have risen up the league charts to become joint-leaders along with Loughborough Lightning. Both teams have played 5 matches, winning four and losing one. Storm's only loss came in their match against Surrey Stars. Mandhana has been in stunning form throughout the series, scoring 48, 37, 52*, 43* before Friday's encounter against Thunder.
Smriti Mandhana's cricketing career
The 22-year-old Mandhana is one of the best openers in the world. This year, the BCCI named her the 'Best Women's International Cricketer'. She is the first Indian woman cricketer to score a double hundred in a domestic one-day match. In the 2016 Challenger Trophy, Smriti had scored three back-to-back half-centuries. She holds the record of scoring the fastest fifty for India in T20Is.
