The Cricketer looks at the main talking points from the women's Hundred clash between Oval Invincibles and London Spirit at the Kia Oval
This game was a story of two powerplays.
London Spirit managed a meager 13 for 2 off their first 25 balls which set them back significantly as they tried to set a competitive target. The hosts, on the other hand, were 29 for 0 after the powerplay which gave them a solid platform to build from.
The visitors did not score a boundary in the powerplay while Oval took seven balls to score their first four. Chamari Athapaththu smashed Danni Gibson through the covers to start the chase confidently.
The star of the powerplay was Lauren Winfield-Hill, who eventually reached her fifty off 32 balls as the skipper kicked on from her start. A mark of her innings was how she swept Spirit's brilliant spin trio, both reverse and traditional.
The reverse was her most productive shot as she scored 13 runs with it.
She finished on 61 and was the glue that kept the innings together and led her team to a vital win and one step closer to qualification.
When Charlie Dean fell to leave London Spirit 47 for 7 after 58 balls, the game and their qualification hopes looked to be in danger of falling completely flat.
However, Deepti Sharma (46 not out) and former Invincible Eva Gray (28) combined to put on the highest eighth-wicket partnership in the women’s Hundred which was worth 56.
Deepti Sharma's 46 got her side to a competitive score with the help of Eva Gray (Getty Images)
The partnership and the recovery were symbolised by Sharma smashing Mady Villiers over long on for a huge six on the 85th ball of the first innings. The Indian allrounder struck three more boundaries as she finished unbeaten and rescued her team to a very competitive 120 from their 100 balls.
The Invincibles were left to rue a dropped catch by Kapp when Sharma was on just 32 runs but they also lost their control with the ball and even missed the cut-off time which meant Sharma was able to maximise the last seven balls with one less fielder in the inner ring.
London Spirit lost wickets at regular intervals in their first 60 balls but there was a propensity of giving Invincible's bowlers a wicket early in their spell.
Every bowler who Winfield-Hill called upon took at wickets for Oval Invincibles and none of them had to wait more than seven deliveries for their first strike.
Both Ryana MacDonald-Gay and Amanda-Jade Wellington took just two balls to get their first while Sophia Smale waited until her third ball and Villiers her fourth ball as they settled quickly.
This all made Rachel Slater's seven-ball wait for her first wicket look like a long one.
It allowed Oval Invincibles to keep halting the momentum of their visitors as the Spirit were forced to keep rebuilding. The eighth wicket partnership was the first to pass 21 for Spirit.
The bowlers started much better than they finished as they took just one wicket after the 58th ball with Smale bowling Gray on the 92nd ball but only after she had broken her eighth-wicket partnership record and successfully rescued her side’s innings.
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