Oval Talking Points: Shrubsole's captaincy and Mandhana's poise

The Cricketer look at the main talking points as 2021 women's champions Oval Invincibles were defeated by Southern Brave at the Kia Oval

Movement That Inspires play of the day

The first ball of the match set the tone at the Kia Oval as Southern Brave took revenge for their defeat in last year's final against Oval Invincibles.

Marizanne Kapp, picked ahead of last year's trophy-winning captain Dane van Niekerk, slightly overpitched to Smriti Mandhana – missing from the title-decider in 2021 – who leant on a cover drive with a minimum of fuss to purrs from all around the ground and in the commentary box.

Across the parched outfield and the rock-hard square, it raced to the boundary with a modicum of authority that Brave never lost over the next 199 deliveries. They were the better team from start to finish, better marshalled and with better plans.

It stemmed, though, from the bat of Mandhana, who hit the next ball for a second boundary for good measure. It was less authoritative – an edge through third man – but it gave Brave a fast start from which Anya Shrubsole, who captained expertly, could control the game.

^{Marizanne Kapp was bowled by Georgia Adams (Julian Finney/Getty Images)}

Leadership That Inspires

It was a tale of two captains at the Kia Oval, with Shrubsole coming out on top. Brave had earlier watched Invincibles bowl 60 balls of seam, with their only spinners – Mady Villiers and Sophia Smale – sharing 40 deliveries between them.

Smale was the best bowler on either side – a tall 17-year-old left-armer who gave away little and enticed Danni Wyatt down the track only to spin one past her. Villiers was more expensive but still accounted for Mandhana with a lovely piece of off-spin bowling, turning a ball past the Indian's outside edge to be stumped by Lauren Winfield-Hill.

Their problem, however, was that their other spin options were absent: Alice Capsey was missing with an ankle problem, while van Niekerk – last season's MVP – was riskily left out as the fourth overseas player with only three slots available.

Kapp replaced her, with Suzie Bates taking over the captaincy. While that, in isolation, wasn't problematic – there are few more experienced international skippers in the game than the New Zealander – it meant dropping an inspirational figure who had given so much to 2021's success. It also meant her leg-spin was unavailable.

When Brave came to field, they exploited the dry conditions far better, using just three seamers for 40 balls, and even turning to Wyatt and Sophia Dunkley to dust off their part-time spin.

Wyatt claimed two wickets with her off-breaks, while Dunkley's leg-spin accounted for a single wicket. Georgia Adams, whose off-spin has come on markedly in the last 12 months, dismissed both Winfield-Hill and Kapp.

^{Anya Shrubsole is Southern Brave's captain (Julian Finney/Getty Images)}

Freya Kemp impresses again

England's dearth of left-handed batters might be about to change. Grace Scrivens had earlier in the day looked a fine prospect for London Spirit in their defeat by Northern Superchargers, before Freya Kemp came to the crease to launch her latest cameo.

She struck four fours at the death just as Brave appeared to have stalled, taking a middling score to one that was substantial given the surface.

She batted for the first time in England colours during the Commonwealth Games, coming in at No.9, but so far in The Hundred has shown enough quality to suggest there might be a role for her higher up the order.

Cranstone's pickle

Aylish Cranstone has had an excellent domestic campaign with South East Stars, but she struggled for rhythm batting at No.3 for Oval in a role taken on by Capsey so effectively.

Cranstone was the beneficiary of Capsey's absence – the teenager felt stiffness in her ankle during the pre-match warmup – but scored slowly and forced rash shots from both Winfield-Hill and Kapp as the required run rate rose around her troubles.

She eventually fell to Wyatt's off-spin, getting into a tangle as she looked to lap-sweep, departing for 18 off 21 deliveries before a recovery of sorts began between Eva Gray and Ryana MacDonald-Gay.

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