August 12, 2024

Mooney’s 99*, Bryce’s Hat-Trick Flatlines Superchargers

Beth Mooney delivered an impressive unbeaten 99, the second-highest individual score in The Hundred’s history, to propel Manchester Originals to a total of 151 for 3. This performance secured a 17-run victory over Northern Superchargers, who could only muster 134 for 8 despite a solid 45 from Litchfield and a notable 5-wicket haul by Bryce. Mooney’s standout innings helped the Originals thwart the Superchargers’ bid to top the standings.

The Australian left-hander was exceptional and graceful throughout her innings, effortlessly finding gaps and showcasing the form that has earned her the top spot in Women’s T20I cricket. Mooney fell just one run short of becoming the second player to score a hundred in the women’s competition when Sophie Ecclestone was run out while attempting an unlikely two from the last ball. Despite missing this personal milestone, Mooney’s remarkable performance contributed to a winning outcome, even though her compatriot Phoebe Litchfield created some tense moments with a strong counter-attack.

Litchfield scored 45 from 29 balls, but her dismissal, caught out by a skillfully executed slower ball from fellow Australian Kim Garth, marked the end of the Superchargers’ challenge. Despite this, Kathryn Bryce made a notable impact with a hat-trick, taking 5 for 13 across her last two spells, providing the Originals with a significant achievement. Although their victory didn’t advance their tournament prospects, it prevented the Superchargers from moving to the top of the table, adding to the tight race at the top of the women’s competition as the final week approaches.

Meerkat Match Hero Mooney said: “It was a lot of fun. I thought Laura Wolvaardt and I set the game up nicely at the top and obviously Kathyrn Bryce finished it beautifully getting five-fer there. A pretty good day out for the Originals.

“A little bit [of regret at not reaching 100]. But if you’d told me this morning I would have scored that many runs I would have taken it, and got the team in a winning position as well, which is most important.”

“I did the best I could and didn’t quite get over the line for that milestone but for me it’s about trying to get the team into a winning position and I thought 150 was probably about par.”

“We saw some of the batters in the Superchargers took the game to the sword a bit and could have taken it away from us pretty quickly, but I thought we were really composed and bowled beautifully.”

Shakib’s Bangla Tigers Knocked Out of Global T20 After Refusing to Play Super Over

Rain delays led to a situation where the Bangla Tigers’ campaign hinged on a one-over eliminator, a scenario they were unwilling to accept, resulting in the game being declared forfeited. The controversy unfolded at the Global T20 Canada on Friday, when the Bangla Tigers Mississauga were eliminated after they forfeited their eliminator match to the Toronto Nationals.

The issue began when persistent rain delayed the start of the eliminator in Brampton, Ontario. As the cut-off time approached, match officials determined that only a Super Over could be played, in accordance with the regulations, and informed both teams of the decision. However, Bangla Tigers’ captain Shakib Al Hasan refused to attend the toss for the Super Over in protest. Had the game been fully washed out, the Bangla Tigers would have advanced to Qualifier 2 by virtue of their higher position on the points table from the group stage.

Zafir Yasin, the Bangla Tigers owner, argued that they should have played “at least a five or ten-overs a side game” to decide the winner, and not just a Super Over. GLT20 CEO Joy Bhattacharjya, however, explained it was a decision made by the match officials.

“We were trying to ensure there was a result either way, however heartbreaking as it may be for the team that loses a one-over shootout,” Bhattacharjya told thewicketinsider. “And it was all part of the regulations.”

When asked why the regulations were distributed via WhatsApp (by tournament director Ingleton Liburd), Bhattacharjya said, “they were sent to the managers’ group for immediate action, and all tournament-related updates had been provided on the same group until then”.

Earlier in the day, attempts to organize a Super Over for Qualifier 1 between Brampton Wolves and Montreal Tigers at the same venue were thwarted by rain and poor ground conditions. As a result, Montreal Tigers advanced to the final due to their top position in the group-stage standings.

Bhattacharjya said the Super Over wasn’t a sudden addition to the regulations. “It’s not like the Super Over provision was brought in for just the game involving Bangla Tigers,” he said. “It was in place for both games [Qualifier 1 and eliminator]. It’s just that it wasn’t possible for the first game, and because the second game happened much later in the day, there was a little more time for the ground staff to work on the outfield.”

In the eliminator, after initial delays, a decision was taken to have a toss at 7.10pm, with the Super Over beginning at 7.30pm. As per regulations sent to both teams, there was a provision to call off the game, in which case Bangla Tigers would progress only if the Super Over didn’t begin by 7.50pm.

“At the time of the toss, the Toronto Nationals captain was present, but the Bangla Tigers team refused to appear,” GLT20 said in a statement. “The match referee explained the plausible consequences of the said action to the captain [Shakib Al Hasan] and thereafter the umpire subsequently awarded the match to Toronto Nationals.”

Disputes Over Rules and Conditions Undermine Integrity of the League

Yasin insisted they had sought to have a minimum of five overs per innings, and not just a Super Over to decide the result. Bhattacharjya said the rules could not be changed just like that.

“Where’s the credibility for a league if rules are changed on the fly?” he said. “If we changed rules for one team, Brampton Wolves would’ve had every reason to argue they were robbed of an opportunity to directly qualify for the final instead of now having to play in the eliminator. The credibility was at stake.”

Bangla Tigers were also displeased that the boundaries were shortened before the official cut-off time to “remove the dangerous area of play from consideration”. Yasin said the organizers had “compromised the integrity of the competition” by seeking assistance from the Toronto owners to procure additional covers on the day of the playoffs.

“If the team owner intended to assist the tournament by purchasing covers, such a contribution should have been made before the tournament began, not before a crucial match,” Yasin said. “This situation raises concerns about the integrity of the league and the possibility that the league’s management decisions were influenced in favour of that team.”

Bhattacharjya explained this was done simply to ensure a crucial stage of the competition wouldn’t be decided by the elements and that these calls were made entirely by the match officials, who were the deciding authority.

“In a country like Canada, where such infrastructure isn’t always easily available, procuring additional covers was only done to ensure we did everything to have play,” Bhattacharjya said. “We readily accepted any help we could get, so that we didn’t leave anything to chance with the weather around.”

Despite the match being awarded to Toronto, Bangla Tigers turned up at the venue on Saturday morning to play Qualifier 2, only to be informed by the officials that no fresh requests would be entertained. Brampton, who lost Qualifier 1 by virtue of finishing lower on the table, eventually lost Qualifier 2 to Toronto, who will play Sunday’s final against Montreal.