Final, London, August 18, 2024, 06:45 PM
115/8(20.0ov)
118/6(19.3ov)
London Spirit Women beat Welsh Fire Women by 4 wickets
Best Batsmen
R
B
4S
6S
SR
Best Bowler
O
R
W
Econ
Man of the Match
Georgia Redmayne
Commentry
Right then, if the Women's Final and yesterday's Men's Eliminator is the sign of things to come, the upcoming Men's Final should be nothing short of a blockbuster. This has been another fine season of The Hundred, Women and what a fitting Finale with Welsh Fire Women building on the last season and zooming into the finals and then London Spirit Women winning the trophy in front of the home crowd. That is it from this game and we hope you enjoyed our coverage but there's still plenty of action left. You can simply switch tabs and tune in to our build-up to the Men's Final. Cheers!
Done with the presentation ceremony and there's just one more thing left - Heather Knight walks up to the podium and lifts that coveted trophy along with her teammates who rejoice and soak in the applause from the Lord's crowd. A moment to remember for life for the players of London Spirit Women.
Heather Knight, the skipper of London Spirit Women, says she is not the best watcher of this kind of game but it was wonderful to watch Sharma hit that for a six. Tells they recruited a good team this year, and credit to the staff for getting together the team. Mentions there was a little tricky period when they lost a couple of wickets but just needed to be calm under this period. Ends by appreciating the way Welsh Fire Women played.
Georgia Redmayne is the HERO OF THE MATCH in the Final for her vital knock of 34 off 32 balls. She says nothing can top the feeling of that last ball going over the fence and the team has performed well as a whole and to get over the line was special. Adds that they talked at the start of the tournament that they wanted to play the final at home and be the first Spirit team to make it and it's just incredible to have made it.
... THE PRESENTATION CEREMONY ...
Eva Gray is next up and says it was an up-and-down campaign but they picked up the pace at the right time. Tells they were confident coming into this game as they had the momentum.
Danielle Gibson is the first one in for a flash interview. She says she was annoyed with her bowling and wanted to do better with the bat and is happy to have contributed. Further says that she tried to keep it simple and just see and hit the ball.
Let's now hear from a few of the players of the champion London Spirit Women's side...
Earlier in the game, London Spirit Women won the toss and Heather Knight decided to chase just as she did in the Eliminator game and the bowlers set things up nicely. Sarah Glenn was as prolific as she has been in the middle phase and picked up vital wickets as Eva Gray closed things off tidily as well. Tammy Beaumont and Hayley Matthews got starts for Welsh Fire Women but it was a valiant fifty from Jess Jonassen that got them to a defendable total. In reply, a few decent individual scores were enough to get London Spirit Women over the line in the Final.
Spare a thought for Welsh Fire Women, they have gone from finishing bottom of the points table in the first two seasons to getting knocked out in the Eliminator last season only because of rain to now bossing the group stage and still suffering from heartache at the end of it all. They didn't have a big target to defend and the first 10 deliveries weren't as they hoped but once Shabnim Ismail came from the Pavilion end, she used the slope to perfection and knocked over three big batters at different intervals of the game. The entire team pulled together towards the end of the chase but they were just a bit short on runs.
Chasing 116 for the win, London Spirit Women lost Meg Lanning early and were stuttering at 2 down for 25 runs. However, just as she did in the Eliminator, Georgia Redmayne held up one end and allowed the batters at the other end to take on the risks. Heather Knight and then Danielle Gibson made a couple of handy 20s and the Spirit Women seemed to be in cruise control. However, they lost wickets at regular intervals and the pressure started to tell. Redmayne even got out at the worst time possible and Deepti Sharma was struggling to get that one hit away but it did come and even though it was very late, it was worth the wait.
An engrossing and captivating Final in The Women's Hundred but in front of a 20,000-plus crowd, London Spirit Women will lift the Trophy at their home, not just any home but the home of cricket as well, Lord's! The celebrations continue on the field and the players pose for a team photo as well. Welsh Fire Women played their part and they did so extremely well and especially Shabnim Ismail with those wickets on her return spells, giving her side hope but it just wasn't meant to be.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Deepti Sharma with a bolt out of the blue to win it all for London Spirit Women and what a reaction as well from her and the dressing room, sensational stuff. Shabnim Ismail and Welsh Fire Women are inconsolable and they were practically inches away from snatching the Final off the home side's hands, utter heartbreak.
In over# 20
6
1
1
Hayley Matthews 34/0(3.3)
98
6
SIX! Ohh, Deepti Sharma you beauty! You have done it! Courage from Deepti Sharma to take on the shot as the long on fielder was present. It doesn't matter as the celebrations are on. Tossed up on middle, Deepti Sharma comes down the track and thumps it down to long on. Shabnim Ismail is thinking, this is my catch and settles under it but the ball has enough distance to go just over Ismail there. She leaps and gets both hands on it as well but it slips from her palms and goes over the fence. London Spirit Women are the new champions.
97
1
ONE MORE! This was a freebie but Dean finds the fielder! A gentle full toss, outside off, almost asking it to be hit but Charlie Dean shuffles across and gets low to pull it but does so straight to deep mid-wicket. A single.
96
1
JUST ONE! Tosses it up, full and around off, Sharma mistimes her sweep to deep square leg for a single.
Charlie Dean walks out to bat now. 6 needed off the final 5 and it will be the star all-rounder Hayley Matthews to bowl it. Are we in for another Tied game? Surely not, right? Also, Welsh Fire Women have made the new cut-off time and won't have to bring an extra fielder inside the ring.
In over# 19
0W
2
1
1
1
Jess Jonassen 16/0(4)
OUT! RUN OUT! Abbey Freeborn has to go. A dot as well. 6 runs needed in 5 balls now. A loopy ball, full and on leg, Sharma sweeps it straight to square leg and was ball watching all the time. Abbey Freeborn though with her head down sprits across only to find Sharma across her as well. An easy throw at the bowler's end and Abbey Freeborn goes.
