Opting to bowl in their final league game, the Invincibles started well with the ball. Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail did not give any free deliveries to hit for the Brave openers. Making her debut in the absence of Smriti Mandhana, Gaby Lewis pulled Ismail in front of the square for a boundary. She followed it up with another square cut through point before chipping Natasha Farrant straight to mid-off.
Danielle Wyatt kept the innings going along with Dunkley as she launched Dane van Niekerk over long-off. Once again, Alice Capsey came to her skipper's rescue, getting rid of the dangerous Wyatt for a run-a-ball 20. Stafanie Taylor joined Dunkley in the middle. Together, they took their time to settle and rebuild the innings.
After 55 balls, the Brave were struggling at 44 for two. However, Dunkley took the attack to the Invincibles, smashing Mady Villers for a couple of boundaries. When Villers came back for her next set, Dunkley swept her for back-to-back boundaries. The Invincibles dropping catches for both the batters did not help their cause.
Taylor, too, joined the party pulling Ismail through in front of the square and followed it up with another hoick over midwicket. Dunkley brought up her half-century with a six off Farrant and remained unbeaten with 58 runs from 39 balls. The Brave finished with 115 for three in 100 balls. Farrant was the pick of the bowler for the Invincibles with two for 22 in her 20 balls.
Defending a sub-par total on a wicket that seemed to be on a slower side, the Brave bowlers were taken apart by van Niekerk and Georgia Adams. She smashed Bell for two boundaries early in the innings. Tara Norris provided the Brave with the early breakthrough by getting rid of Adams. Fran Wilson did not last long as Wellington got her stumped on her very first delivery.
Marizanne Kapp joined her partner Dane van Niekerk in the middle and started her innings with a beautiful cover drive. She followed it with another lofted cover drive off Bell. When Taylor came on to bowl, Kapp launched her into the stands. Wellington had the last laugh as Kapp got out for 26 runs from 24 balls. Villiers chipped one back into the hands of Bell.
Van Niekerk fought a lone battle, scoring 31 runs off 32 balls before getting out to Wellington. Bell sent Farrant and Sarah Bryce back to the pavilion off consecutive deliveries. Ismail saw through the hat-trick delivery safely, and the Invincibles eventually fell short by 30 runs. Wellington starred for the Brave with four wickets for just 12 runs while Bell finished with three for 22 in her 20 balls.
Brief Scores:
Southern Brave: 115/2 in 100 balls (Sophia Dunkley 58*, Natasha Farrant 2/22) beat Oval Invincibles: 85 all out in 94 balls (Dane van Niekerk 31, Amanda-Jade Wellington 4/12) by 30 runs.
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