Brave earn simple victory against winless Originals
By Connor Steel
MANCHESTER ORIGINALS remain winless so far in the Hundred Competition as they sustained their third successive defeat against Southern Brave; who completed a comfortable seven wicket success at the Utilita Bowl following a good combination of ‘stingy’ bowling and glorious strokeplay watched by over ten thousand supporters on Thursday evening.
The home side opened well after electing to field and made their first breakthrough through Craig Overton, who pushed Philip Salt (7) into a poor shot that was caught by Keiron Pollard. A second dismissal came immediately for Brave when Overton had Max Holden caught for two; meaning that the Originals ended the twenty-five ball powerplay spell on 16-2.
Veteran batter Wayne Madsen added two fine boundaries in rapid succession but he couldn’t prevent two more wickets down his opposite end; Sikandar Raza (13) falling to Tymal Mills and Paul Walter succumbing off Chris Jordan’s yorker. But Madsen did find some stability at this half-way mark along with Jamie Overton, which helped to stop a big collapse.
The pair added fifty-seven runs in forty-two balls including a maximum from Overton but they could not rotate the score rate against accurate fast bowling and quick fielding. Mills ended this partnership with 9 balls left as he bowled Overton (25) before Usama Mir (11) trod on his stump on the last ball; the Originals doing enough to finish this innings on 116-6.
Alex Davies started Brave’s response in style as he crashed twenty-four across ten deliveries including four boundaries and one long maximum over cover-point. In comparison James Vince was merely a ‘spectator’ as he waited to face the first delivery that was driven for a 2; the opening partnership yielding the imposing total of thirty-five runs in three overs.
Although Davies fell to a catch off Tom Hartley’s bowling, Leus du Plooy joined Vince at the crease and this pair added vital runs as the score passed sixty-five without further. Each batsman hit twenty runs apiece before Vince was bowled by Usama Mir for twenty-three and du Plooy further followed for 21 off Scott Currie; the hosts now 76-3 off just 54 balls.
The calm unbeaten partnership between Jamie Coles (10*) and Laurie Evens (25*) followed this to push Brave beyond the hundred run landmark; their highlights including one brilliant ‘sweep’ for six and three lovely hits for four. They were further helped by a series of wide and illegal deliveries as the hosts completed victory with twenty-two balls left to bowl.
Southern Brave are currently third in the standings and one of four sides with two wins in three games; this competition almost halfway through the group stage at this time of writing. The team now have two massive away games that could decide their progress into the eliminator and Grand Final; first versus Birmingham Phoenix and Welsh Fire by August 5.
PICTURED BY ALAMY (2XNNY17): Brave players celebrate the wicket of Sikandar Raza in their victory over Originals.
