Deepti Sharma powers London Spirit to maiden Women's Hundred title
London Spirit lifted the 2024 Women's Hundred title, having defeated Welsh Fire in the final at Lord's. The thrilling match saw Spirit chase down a target of 116 runs with just two balls remaining. This win marked their first title in the Women's Hundred and was witnessed by an unprecedented crowd of 22,000 spectators at Lord's. Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma hit the winning six.
How did the game pan out?
Welsh Fire could only manage a paltry 115/8 while batting first. While skipper Tammy Beaumont (21) and Hayley Matthews (22) threw away their starts, Jess Jonassen (54) helped the Fire go past 100. Eva Gray (2/26) and Sarah Glenn (2/17) dismissed two batters apiece. In reply, London lost wickets at regular intervals. Georgia Redmayne (34), Heather Knight (24), and Danielle Gibson (22) were the chief contributors while Deepti's 16* powered London (118/6) over the line. Shabnim Ismail claimed 3/24.
A fine knock from Jonassen
As mentioned, Jonassen rescued Fire with her maiden half-century in this competition. She arrived to bat with the scorecard reading 32/3. The Australian all-rounder joined forces with Matthews and the duo added 52 runs. Eva Gray trapped Jonassen lbw for 54 off 41 balls (8 fours). The pacer later bowled an economical spell, finishing with 0/16 in her quota of 20 balls. Jonassen finished the event with 12 wickets at 14.16 and 176 runs at 44.
Deepti Sharma's winning shot seals victory for London Spirit
Deepti, who faced criticism two years ago for Mankading England's Charlie Dean while playing for India, emerged as the hero of the match. With Dean at the non-striker's end once again, Sharma hit the winning runs for six over long-on to secure Spirit's victory. Deepti made an unbeaten run-a-ball 16. She earlier claimed 1/23 in her set of 20 balls. The Indian ace scored 212 runs in the season while being dismissed just one. The tally also includes eight wickets.
Welsh Fire coach reflects on thrilling final
Despite the loss, Welsh Fire's coach Gareth Breese described the match as "a fantastic game of cricket." He expressed a mix of pride and disappointment, stating that while they play to win, they did the game proud today. The match was filled with dramatic moments, including South African pacer Shabnim Ismail's impressive bowling performance. Notably, three of Ismail's five wickets this seaon came in the final. She averaged 17.20 this year.
Georgia Redmayne's performance in Women's Hundred final
Redmayne, who had previously secured a match hero award for her performance in the eliminator, was trapped lbw by Freya Davies with 12 still needed from the final 11 balls. Despite this setback, her contribution of 34 runs off 32 balls proved crucial in Spirit's journey to the finals. With 229 runs at 28.62, Redmayne was the third-highest run-getter this season. She hit two fifties.
Knight praised Gibson's resilience in Women's Hundred final
Skipper Knight also commended Dani Gibson, the 23-year-old England all-rounder who had a challenging game on Saturday but bounced back with an innings of 22 from nine balls at Lord's. "She had a tough day yesterday where it didn't go how she wanted," Knight said. Gibson overall scored 111 runs this year at a strike rate of 135.36. She also took eight wickets with her medium-pace bowling at 30.62.
