Nat Sciver-Brunt produced a fluent cameo to steer the Trent Rockets to a three-wicket victory over the Southern Brave, rubber-stamping their place in the women’s competition final of The Hundred. The England captain entered the crease under pressure at Trent Bridge, helping her side chase down a target of 118 with two balls to spare.
The result lifts the Rockets to 28 points from eight group games, securing top spot in the standings. Southern Brave, sitting in second place, now wait to learn their opponents for the upcoming Eliminator.
According to BBC reporting, the Rockets suffered a sluggish start in pursuit of 118, collapsing to 10-3 after 25 balls. That opening phase marked the lowest powerplay score in the history of the women’s tournament, following early dismissals of Sophia Dunkley and Beth Mooney. Australia’s Ash Gardner subsequently stabilized the innings with 37 off 24 balls, hitting a towering straight six to shift momentum on a tricky pitch.
Sciver-Brunt entered lower down the order at number seven. With 52 runs still needed from 31 balls, the all-rounder quickly found her rhythm. She reverse-swept her second delivery from Charli Knott for four before striking three consecutive boundaries off Issy Wong.
Reflecting on her positional drop, Sciver-Brunt explained that the choice served a dual purpose. She noted it gave teammates valuable time at the crease while allowing her to manage her workload following recent struggles with a troublesome calf. “We’ve probably batted quite well as a side so it was a chance for some others to have a little hit and a bit of body management as well,” Sciver-Brunt said, as reported by BBC Sport.
Match Dynamics and Southern Brave’s Innings
Before the Rockets mounted their chase, Southern Brave put up 117-5 from their allotted 100 balls. England batter Maia Bouchier top-scored with 38 off 33 deliveries, combining with Lizelle Lee for a 49-run opening partnership. Lee contributed 31 runs from 28 balls, featuring five boundaries.
Georgia Adams proved the pick of the Trent Rockets attack, finishing her spell with figures of 2-14. Despite Brave’s competitive total, the early breakthroughs by Southern bowlers—including two wickets for 16 runs by Corteen-Coleman—were ultimately undone by the middle-order resistance of Gardner and Sciver-Brunt.
Sciver-Brunt was eventually run out while attempting an ambitious second run with the scores level. Kim Garth then edged a delivery from Knott to secure the winning runs, sealing the three-wicket margin.
Group Standings and Upcoming Fixtures
Having sealed top spot in the league table, the Trent Rockets advance directly to the showcase final at Lord’s. Sciver-Brunt emphasized the team’s focus ahead of the weekend. “We wanted to top the table and now we are looking forward to the final at Lord’s,” she said. “Building up to Sunday we know what we need to do. There’s a couple of days to get away and refresh.”
Meanwhile, Southern Brave await the outcome of the Eliminator to see if they will face the Manchester Super Giants or Sunrisers Leeds. Yahoo Sports noted that the Super Giants recently boosted their knockout aspirations with a 27-run win over Southern Brave, anchored by Richa Ghosh’s explosive 54 off 34 balls.
The Hundred continues with a crucial double-header featuring Sunrisers Leeds hosting Welsh Fire at Headingley, alongside London Spirit welcoming Birmingham Phoenix to Lord’s.
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