By Huzaifa Yousafzai from the Kia Oval
Annabel Sutherland dominated proceedings as the Oval Invincibles received their first defeat of the season in an 82-run thumping at home against the Northern Superchargers.
The Australian all-rounder scored 63 not out to lead the Superchargers to their highest team total since 2022 with 146/4 being the score at the end of the first innings.
Chasing a strong total, the Invincibles got off to the worst start possible as their 24-5 became the first ever instant in Women’s Hundred history that a side had lost five wickets in the powerplay.
This was then followed by the lowest score ever in the history of the Women’s Hundred as Sutherland claimed four bowled dismissals in the space of just six balls to end the Invincibles’ innings with a mere 64 runs on the board.
A pair of boundaries from Davina Perrin kickstarted the Superchargers’ innings before an incredible full-stretch diving catch from Amanda Jade-Wellington at mid-off got the home side their first wicket.
Phoebe Litchfield was dropped by Chamari Athapaththu from a tough chance at backward point as the Australian left handed batter guided the visitors to a powerplay score of 33-1 alongside Hollie Armitage.
Rachel Slater then beat the inside edge of Armitage’s bat to knock back the middle stump as the left arm seamer collected her and the Oval Invincibles second wicket of the afternoon.
Australian duo, Litchfield and Sutherland continued to press on as the Northern Supercharges found themselves 62 for the loss of two wickets halfway through their innings.
Litchfield was eventually dismissed for an electric 44 from 30 balls when she found Ryana MacDonald-Gay who took a good low catch diving forward at long-on as Mady Villiers collected her first wicket.
Despite the fall of Bess Heath, Sutherland managed to round out the innings with some lusty blows into the crowd as she finished unbeaten on 63 from 40 balls with the Superchargers ending their innings on 146.
Only three balls into the second innings and the Invincibles captain was dismissed as Kate Cross pinned Lauren Winfield-Hill on her back pad such that she trudged off without even reviewing.
Alice Capsey hit a pair of boundaries in her brief stay before she charged down the wicket against Linsey Smith only to see her off stump disturbed.
It got even worse for the Invincibles as Athapaththu ran a quick single to Litchfield at cover which caught Marizanne Kapp off guard with the South African all-rounder run out for a duck.
The chaos continued when Athapaththu found Cross at long on from the bowling of Smith before the English seamer knocked over Villiers stumps just two ball later as the Invincibles disastrous powerplay ended on 24 for 5.
Paige Scholfield was next to fall when she was bowled by Georgia Wareham before Sutherland cleaned up Jade-Wellington, MacDonald-Gay, Sophia Smale and Slater all in the space of just six deliveries to end the game with Invincibles all out for just 64.
