Kate Ebrahim's best lights up Hagley Oval; Magicians thump Spirit by 53 runs

Opting to bat in New Zealand’s first ever women’s domestic match under lights, skipper Frances Mackay got Magicians out of the blocks quickly, but soon found walking back to the pavilion scoring a 11-ball 17. Post Mackay’s dismissal, they were reduced to 54 for 4 in 8.5 losing three more wickets-including that of Amy Satterthwaite.

However, Ebrahim found an able partner in Kirsty Nation and the pair put on an unbeaten 100-run partnership. Nation played second fiddle and kept rotating the strike allowing Ebrahim to find boundaries at regular intervals to keep the scorecard moving.

In the 17^th over, Ebahim brought up her fifty from 49 balls with a boundary off  Felicity Leydon-Davis. She accelerated from there scoring four fours in the last eight balls she faced to finish on 84 not out, her career-best T20 score. She was severe on Spirit’s skipper Brooke Halliday smashing her for three boundaries in the last over. Magicians ended their innings on 154 for 4 from their 20 overs.

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For Spirit, Eimear Richardson was the best bowler on display giving away only 14 runs from her four overs, while taking the wicket of Satterthwaite.

In the chase, Spirit lost Halliday early in the second over when she was stumped off Gabby Sullivan for just two. Kate Anderson and Katie Gurrey added 55 runs for the second wicket to take the score to 61.

Once Melissa Banks ran Anderson out for 38 in the tenth over, Spirit lost wickets in a cluster with Richardson becoming the victim of a run out in the next over without facing a ball and Mackay sending Lucy Boucher back for a duck.

Soon Gurrey was dismissed by leg-spinner Sarah Asmussen to reduce Spirit to 74 for 5 in 13 overs and they never recoverd from there. They eventually finished 53-run short of Magicians score getting bowled out for 101 in 19.5 overs giving the Canterbury side a big win.

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Asmussen was the most successful bowler for the Magicians with figures of 2 for 21 from her four overs.

Brief Scores:

Canterbury Magicians 154/4 in 20 overs (Kate Ebrahim 84*, Kisty Nation 21*; Eimear Richardson 1/14) beat Northern Spirit 101/10 in 19.5 overs (Kate Anderson 38, Katie Gurrey 29; Sarah Asmussen 2/21) by 53 runs.