Published: Aug 01, 2018, 09:27 AM (IST)
Edited: Aug 01, 2018, 09:28 AM (IST)
Cometh the hour, cometh the woman. Harmanpreet Kaur celebrated her Women’s Cricket Super League debut with a six off the penultimate ball to seal a thriller for Lancashire Thunder against Surrey Stars at The Oval. Thunder needed 10 off five balls when wicketkeeper Eleanor Threlkeld was run out by Laura Marsh. With 10 to get off four, Kaur finished things off with two, four, and six, off Marsh. She finished with a 21-ball unbeaten 34 — an innings that included three fours and the six to win the match.
Set to chase 149, Thunder were put on track by Nicole Bolton, whose 87 took her only 61 balls. When Nat Sciver claimed Bolton in the 19th over, Thunder needed only 11 from nine balls, but they lost three wickets in a heap before Kaur bailed them out. Sciver also bowled Emma Lamb, and finished with excellent figures of 2 for 26.
This was not Sciver’s first great act of the day. After Lamb (3 for 34) had reduced Surrey to 17 for 3, Sciver batted till the end to resurrect the innings, and finished on an unbeaten 57-ball 95. It was unfortunate that the Player of the Match award went to Bolton, who was outscored by Sciver and did not bowl.
Brief scores:
Surrey Stars 148 for 5 in 20 overs [Nat Sciver 95*(57), Emma Lamb 4-0-34-3] lost to Lancashire Thunder 151 for 5 in 19.5 overs [Nicole Bolton 87(61), Harmanpreet Kaur 34*(21); Nat Sciver 4-0-26-2] by 5 wickets with 1 ball to spare.
Player of the Match: Nicole Bolton.
