Nat Sciver-Brunt struck an unbeaten 67 to power Trent Rockets to a commanding nine-wicket victory over already-eliminated MI London at The Oval on Saturday, sealing the Rockets' place in The Hundred women's knockout stage. Chasing 122 for victory, the Rockets cruised home with balls to spare, extending their dominant recent form in the competition.
The England captain's innings came off just 36 balls and included nine boundaries and a six, marking her first half-century of this year's tournament and the 11th of her Hundred career. She combined with Australian batter Beth Mooney, who remained unbeaten on 54 from 44 balls, in a second-wicket partnership of 118 that set a new tournament record. According to ESPN's scorecard, the Rockets actually completed the chase at 125-1 after 16.2 overs, finishing with 23 balls remaining rather than the 18 originally reported.
How did MI London's innings unfold?
MI London were restricted to a modest 121-5 from their 100 balls, largely thanks to a disciplined spell from left-arm spinner Samantha Bates, who finished with figures of 3-13. Bates removed dangerous opener Hayley Matthews lbw for 10 in the early overs before striking twice in consecutive deliveries to leave MI London reeling at 49-4.
Her double breakthrough saw top scorer Kira Chathli dismissed lbw for 31, followed immediately by Nicola Carey being stumped courtesy of sharp wicketkeeping from Mooney. Bates came agonisingly close to a hat-trick when Alice Monaghan was initially given out lbw, only for the on-field decision to be overturned upon review after replays showed the ball drifting down the leg side. According to Cricinfo's match report, 12 of Bates' 20 deliveries in the innings went unscored, underlining the pressure she exerted on the MI London batting order.
Monaghan and Chinelle Henry steadied the innings thereafter, both finishing unbeaten on 27 from 21 balls apiece, guiding MI London to a total that ultimately proved well short of competitive against a rampant Rockets top order.
What does this mean for the standings?
The win lifts Trent Rockets four points clear of second-placed Southern Brave in the group table. Although the two sides still meet in their final group-stage fixture on Monday, the Rockets hold a substantially superior net run-rate of +1.601 compared with Brave's +0.148, leaving them firmly in control of their own destiny heading into the finale.
Per the updated points table published by Wisden, the result improved Trent Rockets' overall record to four wins from five matches with a net run-rate of 1.671, while MI London remained without a win, their net run-rate slipping to -1.540. Separately, figures from the live match data on ESPN's coverage showed Trent Rockets moving to four points from this fixture with MI London remaining on zero.
This victory continues a strong run for the Rockets this season. They previously held off a fightback from defending champions Sunrisers Leeds to win by five runs at Trent Bridge, with Sophia Dunkley and Annabel Sutherland both making significant contributions. Earlier in the tournament, they also beat Welsh Fire by eight wickets in Cardiff behind a Mooney half-century, and thrashed Birmingham Phoenix, who were bowled out for just 64 at Edgbaston. Their only blemish in recent weeks came against London Spirit, who edged past the Rockets by five wickets thanks to an unbeaten innings from Nadine de Klerk.
How did Manchester Super Giants fare against Southern Brave?
In a separate fixture at Utilita Bowl in Southampton, Manchester Super Giants strengthened their own path toward the knockouts with a 27-run win over Southern Brave. Batting first, the Super Giants posted 139-4 from their 100 balls, powered by an explosive 54 from 34 deliveries by Richa Ghosh, who had been promoted to bat at number three.
Ghosh struck five fours and three sixes as part of an 83-run stand with fellow India international Smriti Mandhana, who contributed 46 from 36 balls. Issy Wong dismissed both set batters, finishing with figures of 2-24 to check the Super Giants' momentum at a crucial stage.
In reply, Southern Brave's openers Lizelle Lee (19) and Maia Bouchier (16) failed to build on solid starts as the Super Giants' bowling attack regained control. Laura Wolvaardt threatened briefly with 36 from 28 balls, but her dismissal at the hands of Mady Villiers halted Brave's chase, and the hosts fell well short of the target. Villiers was the standout bowler with figures of 3-17 from her 20 balls, as Brave suffered their first home defeat of the season.
The result takes third-placed Manchester Super Giants to 18 points, giving them a six-point buffer over Sunrisers Leeds and Welsh Fire, who occupy fourth and fifth place respectively.
What happens next in the competition?
Sunday brings a pivotal double-header, with Sunrisers Leeds hosting Welsh Fire at Headingley and London Spirit welcoming Birmingham Phoenix to Lord's. The women's matches are scheduled for 11:00 and 14:30 BST, with the men's fixtures following at 14:30 and 18:00 respectively.
Both Sunrisers Leeds and Welsh Fire still have a path to the knockout stage in the women's competition and must win to keep their hopes alive, while London Spirit and Birmingham Phoenix have already been eliminated from contention. The men's equivalents of Sunrisers and Fire remain in the hunt for the finals, whereas Spirit and Phoenix are out of the running in that competition as well.
Looking further ahead, listings from the tournament's official video archive indicate that Trent Rockets' next scheduled fixture will be against London Spirit Women, a repeat of the tight five-wicket contest the two sides played out earlier in the competition.
Key Facts
- Trent Rockets beat MI London by nine wickets at The Oval, chasing 122 with Sciver-Brunt unbeaten on 67 and Mooney unbeaten on 54.
- Sciver-Brunt and Mooney's 118-run second-wicket stand set a new Hundred tournament record.
- Samantha Bates took 3-13 for the Rockets, including 12 dot balls from her 20 deliveries, per Cricinfo.
- Manchester Super Giants beat Southern Brave by 27 runs at Utilita Bowl, with Richa Ghosh scoring 54 and Mady Villiers taking 3-17.
- Trent Rockets improved to four wins from five matches with a net run-rate of 1.671, while MI London remained winless at -1.540, according to Wisden's updated standings.
