 | « Back to article | Print this article |
India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana struck a scintillating half-century to help Southern Brave crush Trent Rockets by 10 wickets and book their place in the knockout stages of The Hundred in Southampton.
Mandhana impressed with a 31-ball 57 that included nine fours and two maximums after Lauren Bell (4/10) picked up the best figures of the season to restrict Rockets to 88/8 at the Ageas Bowl on Thursday.
Chasing a below par total, Mandhana joined forces with fellow opener England's Danni Wyatt (36 off 25) as the hosts cruised to victory with 44 balls to spare.
The star Indian batter looked in imperious touch as she slammed the very first ball of the chase for a boundary. The 26-year-old then continued in the same vein as she hit Natalie Scriver for a hat-trick of fours a few balls later.
She raced to her fifty in 30 balls before sealing the victory with a fabulous six.
Earlier, Elyse Villani (25), Marie Kelly (22) and Scriver (19) served as the main contributors for the Rockets.
Apart from Bell, Amanda-Jade Wellington snared three wickets, giving away 18 runs for the Braves.