Malan confidence takes a knock as Rockets struggle
►Batsman to join England after scoring only 14 at the Oval ►Invincibles Women through to final after beating Phoenix
Blessed by fortune with a play-off on their home ground, Oval Invincibles Women won their eliminator so that they will meet their Southern Brave counterparts in the first final at Lord’s.
In yesterday’s second eliminator, Southern Brave Men restricted Trent Rockets to only 96 with a view to meeting Birmingham Phoenix in the men’s final, with the forecast suggesting that the reserved day of tomorrow might be needed.
Southern Brave have been the outstanding franchise of this inaugural Hundred, at least since their male campaign took off after a slow start.
They did not make a slow start in their eliminator however, sending in Trent Rockets and taking four of their wickets in the 25-ball powerplay, which so undermined the Rockets’ innings they were bowled out in 91 balls.
England supporters would not have objected to a long and slow innings by Dawid Malan, who was promoted to open, but England’s latest call-up will not be taking to Headingley all that much confidence – and Malan is a confidence player – after steering an early catch to Quinton de Kock and being dismissed for 14, one of four catches for South Africa’s wicketkeeper.
Constructing a franchise is much like hanging wallpaper – get the top right and everything flows down from there – and signing De Kock as opening batsman and keeper is as good a place as any to start. Add a highly varied attack, with plenty of left-arm bowlers, and Southern Brave’s revival is understandable.
George Garton, one of Southern Brave’s left-armers, took three of the first four wickets – de Kock catching Alex Hales as well as Malan – and elongated the Australian Darcy Short’s unsuccessful tournament. Tymal Mills and Jake Lintott further complemented the right-arm pace of Craig Overton, who is also bound for Headingley this weekend, and Chris Jordan, making a formidable combination.
In a remarkable coincidence, both games in this double-header were shaped by a leaping catch by mid-off, to her than his left. In the first game it was Tash Farrant, in the second it was Lintott, catching Samit Patel for 20, which turned out to be the highest score for the nonfiring Rockets.
The women’s eliminator rather fizzled out when Birmingham Phoenix buckled in their run-chase but otherwise it was an excellent game in which Oval Invincibles, with their three South Africans, were too good for Phoenix without Shefali Verma, their Indian opener. More importantly, it was a joyous occasion, another splendid advertisement for the women’s game, and if the standard was in places uneven, so it was no doubt when the men’s game was being professionalised.
The fielding was usually unblemished and sometimes superlative, a faint edge to the keeper being the sole chance dropped in the whole of the women’s game. Sharp return catches were taken by Kirstie Gordon and Dane van Niekerk, while the athleticism and fast, flat throwing of the Australian Katie Mack at deep midwicket resulted in a runout and a running catch off consecutive balls. Yet there was nothing finer than Farrant’s leap to her left – her natural side – and catch at midoff that turned the run-chase by Birmingham Phoenix into something of a rout when Farrant dismissed Amy Jones (35 off 25) next ball.
Other memorable moments included the game’s first over when Issy Wong bounded in and was cover-driven for four, three fielders chasing in vain, then bowled a short ball that brought a wicket after a last-second review.
Wong, 19, went on to become the most expensive bowler in this game, trying too many slower balls instead of the yorkers and bouncers that Darren Gough might have advised; but their brio was similar.
Marizanne Kapp, one of the Invincibles’ trio of South Africans, could have been the Hero ahead of Farrant. Kapp put substance into the Invincibles innings during her stand of 54 with Alice Kapsey, only nine days past her 17th birthday and amazingly mature as well when she bowled her off-breaks.
Kapp then had both Phoenix openers caught behind, leaving too much in the end for England’s keeper/bat Amy Jones to do.
The Oval was almost half-full at the start of the women’s eliminator and two-thirds full by its end. A market has been created where none existed, and it will continue to grow if more teenaged players emerge such as Capsey and Wong, and if players keep radiating their joy.