The Hundred 2024: Nat Sciver-Brunt’s unbeaten fifty in vain as Originals win thriller

Victory seemed inevitable for Trent Rockets before Kathryn Bryce eliminated Ash Gardner with three balls to go

Old Trafford: Manchester Originals 137-6, Trent Rockets 136-6 – Manchester Originals win by one point

Manchester Originals held their nerve with ball in hand and defied a record-breaking duo of Nat Sciver-Brunt and Ash Gardner to claim victory in The Hundred at Emirates Old Trafford.

Sciver-Brunt (56*) and Australian all-rounder Gardner (36) combined for a record fourth-wicket duo of 86 and looked set to take Trent Rockets over the line, but with three balls to go and victory in sight, Kathryn Bryce dismissed Gardner to swing the match back in the home side’s favour.

Ultimately, Sciver-Brunt needed one final ball to win the match, but he only managed two.

Bryce’s momentum shift completed a team effort for Manchester Originals, who had happily made 137 for 6 on a slow pitch after coming out to bat first.

^{Ash Gardner shared a recording contract with Nat Sciver-Brunt, but it wasn’t enough (ECB/Getty Images)}

Eve Jones (34), Beth Mooney (24) and Bryce (32) herself were the mainstays of their effort – their highest total since 2022 – and again captain Sophie Ecclestone added momentum late in the match with a powerful five-ball 13.

The speedy and impressive Lauren Filer gave the Originals a first-round lead over Trent Rockets over WinViz. But once Sciver-Brunt and Gardner came together, the Rockets seemed to get more comfortable despite their rising run rate.

When Sciver-Brunt Ecclestone hit two fours inside the last 15 balls she looked to have done enough to give her team two wins from two, but Bryce and the Originals had the final say to make it a success in the fourth year of The Hundred.

Meerkat Match Hero Lauren Filer said: “It was a real team effort today. Everyone did their job and it’s just so nice to cross the line.

“The pitch is actually a bit slower than the last game. We hit it really, really well and we thought it was a good total.

“We talked about doing the simple things longer and improving our skills, and I think we did that today.”

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