On Wednesday, 21 July 2021, the ECB finally managed to make the Hundred a reality at the Oval in London three years after it had initially mooted the tournament. The ECB could have guaranteed a bigger crowd by kicking off the competition with a clash between men’s teams. Instead, it decided to highlight the equal platform, the central tenet of the competition, by having two women’s teams in the opening match. The two women’s teams most certainly appeared to enjoy the benefit of kicking off the whole party in front of an audience of 7395.
Originals set Invincibles a Target of 136
An excited crowd witnessed Oval Invincibles win the first match of the competition against Manchester Originals. Originals batted first and posted a score of 135 for six in their allotted hundred balls. Opener Lizelle Lee top scored with 42 from 39 balls, assisted by cameos from Georgie Boyce (21 from 19 balls) and Harmanpreet Kaur (29 from 16 balls). Tash Farrant was Invincibles’ most successful bowler, taking 3/25 in her 20 balls. While Marizanne Kapp took 2/20, Maddy Villiers returned figures of 1/29.
Invincibles Recover from Bad Start
When Invincibles replied, they were off to a bad start, losing four wickets with just 36 runs on the board. But they were rescued by a fifth wicket stand of 73 between Dane van Niekerk and Marizanne Zapp. When Zapp got out, they were well-placed at 109/5 needing 33 more runs, with 18 balls to go. They eventually managed to cross the line with two balls and five wickets to spare.
Originals Skipper Kate Cross’s Star Turn
Kate Cross, the skipper of Manchester Originals, was one of the stars of the evening, hitting the first ever six of the competition in a cameo late in the first innings. When the Originals bowled, Kate Cross also had a (missed) opportunity to take the first hat-trick of the tournament.
RuRule Changes Cause Thought
trong>The newest form of cricket with its controversial amendments to the rules grabbed a lot of attention. One of the innovations that caused a lot of thought among cricket skippers in England was whether and when to use the option of having one bowler bowl two 5 ball blocks in succession. While some felt it would work for slow bowlers, others reckoned the death specialists would find it more useful. Still others said that only exceptional circumstances would justify using the innovation. The skipper of the Invincibles, Dane van Niekerk, was so keen to try out the innovation that she allowed her opening bowler Marizanne Kapp to bowl the first 10 balls in succession. As it transpired, she took a wicket on her 7th delivery. However, commentators and spectators seemed to pay no attention to the raising of white cards by the umpires after every five deliveries.
