The Hundred: All-round Georgia Adams and Brave's thrilling win

Georgia Adams paved the way for Southern Brave in an action-packed clash as they mounted vengeance against Welsh Fire in The Hundred at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on Saturday (August 12). The uncapped star performed with both the bat and ball as she picked impressive figures of 2 for 22 and provided the required late blitz with the bat scoring 40 off 24 deliveries in a tight chase. 

"I am on an adrenaline come down. We have had a few nail-biters. Great to get over the line like that," Adams said after the match that ended with Brave winning the thriller in the final ball of the match.

After Brave won the toss, captain Anya Shrubsole opted to bowl first and introduced her wicket-taking bowler right after the second set and Adam's power play introduction turned fruitful as she got the big scalp of Tammy Beaumont. The Fire skipper skied one to the deep mid-wicket and Danielle Wyatt was alert enough to clasp it.

Fire kept ticking the scorecard and was at 136 for 3 at the end of the 18th set.

The off-spinner was trusted to bowl the penultimate set. She bowled exceptionally and produced the wicket of Georgia Elwiss at the cost of just two runs. In her 20 balls, she gave away just 22 runs while picking up those two wickets.

"I try to bowl at the stumps and not turn it much, that's the plan and it worked. We clawed them back well at the end," added the Southern Vipers allrounder.

Fire posted a target of 145 courtesy of contributions from Sophia Dunkley and Sarah Bryce.

The chase did not start positively for the Brave as Shabnim Ismail got the prized wicket of Wyatt. But Smriti Mandhana and Maia Bouchier steadied the ship as they stitched a well-made partnership of 77 off 47 deliveries. After the southpaw holed out to Ismail at deep extra cover, Adam walked in with Brave still needing 67 from 48 deliveries.

When Elwiss came back, the medium pacer nabbed the set batter Bouchier and Freya Kemp off successive deliveries. Adams, who hasn’t had a good run with the bat until now, took it upon herself and decided to up the ante with back-to-back boundaries in the next set of Alex Griffiths, a down-the-ground shot for a maximum and a well-timed pull just behind the square for a four.

There was another shift in the momentum as a great low catch from Dunkley off Ismail's bowling saw the back of Chloe Tryon. At this stage, Brave were reeling at 116 for 5 and still required 29 runs from 15 balls.

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Adams kept her nerves in check and scored 18 runs off the next five deliveries she faced. She chipped the 87th ball nicely over mid-on for a four and in the immediate next delivery, she smacked the ball to deep mid-wicket for another boundary. Later on, she clubbed the ball for a maximum over long-on before falling on the 94th ball off Freya Davies.

"It was about time that I turned up with the bat in this tournament. When Smriti and Bouchier set it up like this, you know you don't have to go big from ball one. Great to get runs and take the team over the line," Adams added.

Brave required nine off the final five and the ball was in Ismail's hand she almost did the job once again but six runs coming from byes and three from the bat meant the two-time runners-up finally made it through with Shrubsole getting a leg bye in the final delivery of the match.

Adams has been in great form since the Charlotte Edwards Cup (CE Cup) and the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy (RHF Trophy). She scored 514 runs and picked up 22 scalps from her 16 innings across the two tournaments. She is the highest wicket-taker in The Hundred 2023 as of now with 12 wickets from five matches.

"It's a small-margin tournament. The great win gives momentum as we head home next week which will be nice," concluded the allrounder after she was adjudged as the Hero of the match.