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Kavem Hodge described his battle with Mark Wood as “brutal” but said that only increased the level of satisfaction after his maiden Test hundred provided a platform for West Indies to hit back on day two of the second match of the series against England in Nottingham.Hodge, 31 and playing in his fourth Test, said that scoring a century was “a dream come true”, having had doubts about whether he would ever get an opportunity at the highest level. His innings of 120, the bulk of which came during a partnership of 175 with fellow Dominican Alick Athanaze, allowed West Indies to close on 351 for 5 and potentially put pressure on England by surpassing their first-innings score.”It’s a dream come true, you play the game from a youngster growing up that’s something that you want to do, especially at the highest level, in England against England,” he said. “I’m really happy and satisfied about it, especially also the position of the team, it’s always good to help the team’s cause.”Related

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Hodge successfully came through a short-ball examination from England’s attack during the afternoon, led by Wood. Of the 29 balls that Hodge faced from Wood, 24 were either short or short of a good length – and the majority over 90mph.”It was brutal,” Hodge said. “It’s not every day you rock up and you face someone that’s bowling more than 90mph every single ball. There was one point, I made a joke to him, I said: ‘Hey, I have a wife and kids at home.’ But I think that made the century a lot more satisfying. Test cricket is brutal, it’s challenging, it’s mentally draining. To experience that, facing guys like Mark Wood, it was tough but it was satisfying.”While Hodge ducked and weaved successfully, as well as putting away several boundaries on the pull, Athanaze was struck on the helmet by Wood – prompting an expressive response from his batting partner.”I flinched. I thought I was going to get hit before him but it didn’t happen like that. But kudos to him that he bounced back well and was able to stand his ground and push on further.”We always bat good together, play for the same franchise back home, we’ve had a lot of big partnerships,” Hodge added. “He’s more aggressive than I am, I’m more of an accumulator, so I tend to go under the radar and go about my business quietly. Always good to spend time with him at the wicket.”Although Athanaze fell for 82 when flashing Ben Stokes to gully, Hodge stuck to it and eventually brought up three figures with a punch down the ground off Stokes. His roar of approval, which was followed by leaping into the arms of Jason Holder mid-pitch, made clear how much the moment meant to him.”It was amazing,” Hodge told Sky Sports. “I think from 97 I blanked out… I was just trying my best to stay in the moment and he bowled a big, booming inswinger and everything was just a blur, everything just happened in the moment. I told Jason I was still pinching myself after the celebration, I hadn’t grasped it yet.”Hodge only made his Test debut on the tour of Australia in January, having played three ODIs against UAE last year, and admitted that he had feared he would not get this far after repeatedly missing out on selection.”There were times when you start to doubt yourself, when you weren’t getting the opportunity,” he said. “There were times when to make the Test team, because of Covid, we had something called the best vs best, when they would bring the guys in and then split the squad into two and have warm-up games to select the team. I think I’ve taken part in that six or seven times and every time a selector or the coach would come to me and say ‘We’re not going to select you, we’re looking in this direction’.”So every time I went to a best vs best, it took a little bit out of me but I’m grateful that I stuck with it and things are working out, so I’m happy for that.”West Indies faced being written off as credible opposition after twice being dismissed for under 150 in the first Test at Lord’s, a game that lasted barely seven sessions. But Hodge said that the tourists had been focused on learning from their mistakes and was glad to have helped capitalise in more favourable conditions.”It was a matter of staying positive, we’re not the only team who have lost a Test match two days. It’s just a matter of learning from it, the conditions are new for a lot of us – this is my first time to England, so it’s just a matter of learning quickly, adapting to conditions and finding ways to improve. And when we get the opportunity to bat, take it deep. As we’ve seen, it was a very good batting wicket, so it was imperative that once we got the opportunity we stay in, dig deep and put our team in a good position.”

Rashid Khan wishes “we could do something and wish there was a solution for it” but can’t do much about “some things which is not under the control of anyone in cricket.” The Afghanistan T20I captain was responding to whether beating Australia at the T20 World Cup on Saturday night in St Vincent gave them extra satisfaction.The backdrop to the question was in relation to Cricket Australia’s decision to not play Afghanistan bilaterally due to “a marked deterioration in human rights for women and girls” in the country. Earlier this year, Cricket Australia postponed a scheduled three-match T20I series with Afghanistan. CA have also postponed the hosting of a one-off Test for the same reason.”Well, we are sportsmen, and we love sports,” Rashid said at the post-match press conference. “People back home love sports. And I mentioned earlier, cricket is the only source of happiness back home. That’s the only source left in Afghanistan where people could celebrate. And if we keep that source away from us, I don’t know where Afghanistan will remain.Related

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“We sportsmen only think about the cricket. Everyone is saying sports bring the nation together and bring everyone together. So, for me, we’re always happy to play against any side, and that’s the only way where our cricket can improve day by day. Some things which are not under the control of anyone in cricket, and that’s something we can’t do anything about it. Wish we could do something, and wish that was a kind of solution for it, we would have been happy, but I don’t know what’s the solution for that.”Rashid had threatened to withdraw from the Big Bash League in 2023 after CA decided to postpone their ODI series. Rashid’s public stance joined a chorus of protests from Afghanistan’s male cricketers soon after ACB had termed CA’s statement over refusing to play Afghanistan due to the human rights crisis as “pathetic”.Rashid Khan reiterated Afghanistan are happy to play Australia•ICC/Getty Images

Rashid eventually softened his stance and put his name up in the drafts but was forced to miss the tournament through injury. On Sunday, Rashid reiterated they’re happy to play the team, but have no direct control of things that happen beyond cricket.”We’re happy to play any side, but as I mentioned earlier, some things, government, and political things, I don’t know much about these things, and I don’t like it as well. So, I have no answer for this, but my only thing always in mind is I love to play against the big teams. I love to travel all around the world to play and I have received so much so much love from everyone.”Whenever I go to Australia for Big Bash, I think I have got so much love and support from the fans there. They have given me so much love. In 2022 T20 World Cup, when we were playing in Adelaide against Australia, I got more support than them. And that was so satisfying.”Rashid reminisced the love and support he received in the aftermath of his father’s passing during the BBL in 2019, and termed fans in Adelaide [he plays for Adelaide Strikers] as “family”, while maintaining “cricket isn’t the solution for politics.””Playing in Australia, I’ve got massive support in every city. The hospitality I got in Australia, especially during the tough days in 2019 when my dad passed away, that was the hardest time for me when I was in Australia. And the amount of love and support I got from everyone in the team, and also the fans [was immense], I think I call them a family.”But as I said, I love to play all around the world. And those things which are not under the control, and cricket is not the solution, I don’t think we can bring sports into that. If there is another solution, you can take that. But don’t think cricket is the solution of politics and things like that.”So, yeah, if we play in the World Cup, why don’t we play in bilateral series? I think we’re happy to play against the best side. We learn from them. We get better day by day. But that’s the only thing I can say.”

Dwaine Pretorius’ late sixes trumped Kieron Pollard’s in a tense chase of 168 to start Guyana Amazon Warriors’ home stretch with a victory and boost their playoff chances. They are fourth now on the points table, just one point behind Antigua and Barbuda Falcons, but with three matches in hand compared to one for Falcons. Trinbago Knight Riders, second on the table and already through to the playoffs, were lifted to a competitive score single-handedly by Pollard’s unbeaten 54 off 18, but it didn’t prove to be enough on a night where batting got easier later on, according to Pretorius.Amazon Warriors were in a spot of bother once their set batters Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer were gone by the 16th over and they needed 38 to win off 18. Pretorius, fresh on the back of his 53 off 34 against Barbados Royals two days ago, ended the 18th over, from Andre Russell, with consecutive sixes to bring it down from 19 to 12, and further eased the nerves in the last over, of which they needed nine, with a hack over wide long-on off Pollard before they reached the target with a ball to spare.TKR got off to a sedate start after they were put in to bat. They kept attempting boundaries, but kept losing wickets in the process as Romario Shepherd rattled Alex Hales’ stumps and Moeen Ali did the same to Nicholas Pooran, leaving them on 40 for 3 at the end of the powerplay. Moeen and captain Imran Tahir slowed them down further with a spin strangle, conceding just 18 in the next four overs with just one boundary. Moeen finished with 4-0-11-1 before Darren Bravo broke the shackles but soon holed out off Tahir for 33 off 35.On 100 for 4 after 16, TKR got a massive late lift when Pollard faced 17 off the last 24 balls and smashed the fastest half-century of the season, off 17 balls, studded with his trademark swings across the line after going back and across. He started with consecutive fours against Pretorius and smashed back-to-back sixes off Shepherd before Keacy Carty retired out for 29 off 34 at the end of the 18th. Pollard took on Tahir too, with a six that travelled 103 metres back over the bowler. The innings ended with a sequence of 6, 6, 4 and 4 as Pollard tore into Shepherd for a 21-run over.Amazon Warriors’ start wasn’t very impressive either, as Akeal Hosein sent back Moeen and Keemo Paul in his first eight balls. Hope, however, broke free with 6, 6 and 4 off Russell before Hetmyer hammered Usman Tariq for three sixes in an over to place them on an impressive 66 for 2 after six overs. But Amazon Warriors, too, slowed down after the powerplay, with the introduction of Sunil Narine. He added to the hosts’ woes by having Hetmyer hole out for 49 and trapping Hope lbw for 53. But Pretorious held his nerve by being prepared for yorkers and variations, and putting a bunch of them away to the ropes to see Amzaon Warriors home.

In the aftermath of their 217-run defeat to Bangladesh, Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie was still proud of the fight put up by Curtis Campher, Gavin Hoey and Jordan Neill on the fifth day in Dhaka.The visitors batted 59.3 overs on Sunday, holding Bangladesh up till almost the tea break, when Hasan Murad removed Hoey and Matthew Humphreys with successive deliveries. Nobody could remove Campher though. He made an unbeaten 71 having faced the greatest number of balls by an Ireland batter in the fourth innings of a Test match (259). Hoey was second on the list with 104.”[Curtis Campher] is someone that is hard to get out when he is in his bubble,” Balbirnie said. “He is very determined not to get out even when he is in the nets. He has such a strong defense, he showed that today.”Bangladesh were pushed to a little bit of an extreme, bowling 100 overs for the first time in the fourth innings at Shere Bangla National stadium. Campher played a big part in that.Related

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“If he puts his mind to it, he can do it,” Balbirnie said. “It is a shame that no one from the top and middle order could hang around for long enough. I think the batters showed fight today, to bat till just before tea on the fifth day. We were behind the game a lot. Bangladesh deserved to win the series 2-0.”Balbirnie also talked about Hoey and his recently-developed skillset as an allrounder: “I play with Gavin in club cricket in Dublin. I have known him since he was a kid. His dad was an Irish international in the 1990s. He was a legspinner as well. I think [Hoey] has only been bowling legspin since [Covid] lockdown, so it’s been five years. He was a seam bowler [earlier].Andy Balbirnie was candid about Ireland’s inability to bat for long periods•ECB/Getty Images

“So to have that skillset in this short time is really impressive. He will get better and better from experiences like this. We have to make sure that he gets enough overs under his belt. We need to have our spinners develop consistency so that we do well in these conditions.”Ireland had some hope of batting the day out and coming away with a draw. “[There were expectations] probably just before Murad took the two wickets,” Balbirnie said. “There was a small bit of excitement in the dressing room at that drinks break. Credit to the Bangladesh spinners. They don’t miss their line and length too often. They test batters a lot. The two wickets in two balls put an end to that [hope] pretty quickly. It was an enthralling day’s play. I think Curtis can be proud of his work today.”The fact that the Test match stretched to the fifth day was also a tribute to the type of pitch prepared for the encounter. “A lot of us had seen the West Indies ODI series. We were a bit nervous coming here,” Balbirnie said, referring to pitches that had, on one occasion, witnessed fifty overs of spin in the first innings. “When we arrived, we thought [the pitch] would break up quickly, but it held together. There was turn, but it wasn’t every ball. It was a good cricket wicket. I thought it was a pretty fair wicket. We had two good wickets over the two Tests.”Balbirnie was also candid about what Ireland hoped for from the series. “We had won three Tests in a row before coming here, so there was confidence in the group,” he said. “We had to manage our expectations. You are coming to places that have experienced cricketers.”We are trying to get that consistency. Our top-order didn’t fire for the last two games. Bangladesh’s top-order showed us how to do it – to bat for a long time and get big hundreds. [Their batting] was the big difference. We weren’t competitive against Bangladesh for longer periods. They showed their class over the nine days,” he said.

Outgoing Western Australia head coach Adam Voges will take the reins of Seattle Orcas in next season’s Major League Cricket as he furthers his leadership credentials on the T20 franchise circuit.Voges replaces Australian compatriot Matthew Mott, who was fired after Orcas lost their first five games of the 2025 season. Having recently announced that he will step down as WA head coach at the end of the current domestic season, it was widely anticipated that Voges would take up a senior role at an MLC franchise.”I am very excited to be joining the Seattle Orcas for the upcoming season,” Voges said. “The MLC competition continues to grow and I look forward to working with the owners, players and staff to help bring success both on and off the field.”Overseeing an incredible run of success for WA after replacing Justin Langer in 2018, Voges has long been touted as a successor to Australia head coach Andrew McDonald whose current contract runs through to 2027. McDonald has indicated that he is unlikely to seek an extension having been in the job since early 2022.Voges has previously coached Australia A and worked with the national side.In the meantime, Voges has decided to further his coaching development through T20 franchise cricket. As flagged by ESPNcricinfo, Voges has joined Trent Rockets in the Hundred as an assistant coach.WA Cricket are continuing discussions with Voges about staying on as Perth Scorchers head coach in the BBL having led the franchise to back-to-back titles in BBL11 and 12. Voges also twice lifted the trophy as captain of Scorchers.Related

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Assistants Beau Casson and Tim MacDonald will likely be in the mix to replace Voges as WA head coach.Voges, who averaged a remarkable 61.87 from 20 Tests for Australia, will be tasked with lifting Orcas back up the ladder. After making the final in MLC’s debut season, Orcas won just four of 17 games across 2024-25.”We are thrilled to welcome Adam Voges to the Seattle Orcas family,” Orcas chief Hemant Dua said. “He brings a proven pedigree of winning, a distinctive ability to develop world-class talent, and a deep understanding of the nuances of T20 franchise cricket.”His dominant run with Western Australia and the Perth Scorchers speaks to his expertise. We believe Adam’s calm demeanor, tactical intelligence, and commitment to building a high-performance culture will be pivotal as we aim for the Major League Cricket title.”We are building something special in Seattle, and Adam is undoubtedly the right person to lead the charge.”Orcas are co-owned, among others, by GMR Group and JSW Sports, who are also co-owners of Delhi Capitals in the IPL and WPL, and their entities in SA20 (Pretoria Capitals) and UAE’s ILT20 (Dubai Capitals).

Mohammad Rizwan has been sacked as Pakistan ODI captain, with Shaheen Shah Afridi replacing him. The decision was announced by the PCB shortly after the first day of the ongoing Test match between Pakistan and South Africa in Rawalpindi, a Test both Rizwan, 33, and Afridi, 25, are currently playing.No reason was provided for replacing Rizwan; indeed, the wicketkeeper batter was not even mentioned in the official statement. The decision, according to the PCB, was taken after a meeting in Islamabad between the selection committee and the white-ball head coach Mike Hesson.Rizwan’s removal was all but inevitable when the PCB put out a statement over the weekend, pointedly declining to confirm him as ODI captain ahead of the white-ball leg of the South Africa tour. Instead, it said Hesson had asked PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi to convene a meeting with the selection and advisory committee to appoint a new captain.ESPNcricinfo understands the desire to replace Rizwan was not specifically at the behest of the head coach, but enjoyed wider backing at the highest level of the PCB’s decision-making process.Afridi’s last foray into white-ball captaincy was an unhappy one, when he was tapped to lead the T20I team ahead of a series against New Zealand in January 2024. Pakistan ended up losing 4-1 before he was replaced in similar circumstances to Rizwan’s sacking right now, with chairman Naqvi pointedly declining to confirm he would continue in the role. Afridi was replaced by Babar Azam a week later.While Pakistan had different captains for all formats – a situation that will continue – Rizwan was until recently perceived to be the most secure of a group that includes Shan Masood and Salman Ali Agha. Since becoming captain of the ODI side last year, Rizwan is four runs short of the highest scorer for Pakistan, averaging just under 42. He led Pakistan to series wins in Australia and South Africa in 2024, though results this year have dipped, most notably with an ignominious first-round exit at a home Champions Trophy.Afridi pulls on the armband in good form in the format; he was Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker last year in ODI cricket, and central to their away wins in South Africa and Australia. Since the start of the 2023 World Cup, no fast bowler from a Full Member nation has more wickets than his 45, which have come at more than two wickets a game.Afridi’s first assignment as ODI captain is the white-ball series against South Africa, which comprises three ODIs in Faisalabad next month.

Northern Superchargers 141 for 4 (Armitage 34*, Wareham 29*, Mathews 2-18) beat Welsh Fire 94 (Beaumont 36, Wareham 2-14) by 47 runsNorthern Superchargers got their campaign in The Hundred off to the perfect start with a comprehensive win over Welsh Fire at Headingley.Under the new leadership of former England Women’s Head Coach Lisa Keightley, Superchargers batted first and made 141 for 4. In reply, Tammy Beaumont’s Welsh Fire were bowled out for just 94, much to the delight of the 7,208 Superchargers fans in attendance.The team in purple have kept all three of their Australian overseas stars, and there were runs for both Annabel Sutherland (28) and Georgia Wareham (29*), but it was captain Hollie Armitage who top-scored, with an unbeaten 34.Welsh Fire have enjoyed two successful seasons in The Hundred, with visits to The Eliminator and The Final to their name across the last two years, and much of their success has been down to their batting – but when Sophia Dunkley and Hayley Matthews found themselves back in the pavilion with the score still in single figures, they faced an uphill task.Beaumont and Georgia Elwiss tried to undo the damage but the home side possess a balanced attack and they utilised it well, chipping away throughout Fire’s reply to maintain control at all times. It was in the end an easy win, spinners Linsey Smith and Wareham snaffling two wickets apiece, with a couple also for Grace Ballinger.Welsh Fire will have the opportunity to turn it around very quickly, hosting their first game in Cardiff on Saturday. For Superchargers it’s a visit to Trent Rockets on Sunday, where they’ll look to go two from two.Meerkat Match Hero Wareham said: “It felt like a really good hit out for the girls, it felt like we were really clinical in all facets which showed up on the scoreboard for us.”I think [when batting with Hollie Armitage] it was just about being really calm at the time, and knowing that there were actually quite a few balls left. It’s always pretty calm out there with Hollie, she keeps things pretty level. As a team we’re talking about taking the game on, and being brave through different phases of the game, which I think all the batters did really well today.”With the ball, we wanted to keep the stumps in play as much as we possibly could. The change of pace worked really well for Welsh Fire so we took that into play for us, as well, and as it showed we hit the stumps as often as we could.”

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) allrounder R Ashwin has asked his team for clarity on how they intend to use him in IPL 2026, ESPNcricinfo has learnt. According to sources, he has told the franchise he doesn’t mind parting ways with them if he doesn’t fit their plans.Ashwin, who was acquired by CSK at the mega auction last year for INR 9.75 crore, played nine of 14 matches in a year that was seen as a homecoming. He was with the team that represents his city after eight seasons of playing elsewhere. This year’s IPL was the first time since 2009, Ashwin’s first season, that he played fewer than 12 games in a season. It was also his costliest year as he went for 9.12 runs an over, the first time that his economy went past 8.49.The deadline for releasing players usually depends on when the auction takes place, which hasn’t been finalised for IPL 2026 yet. The mega auction takes place every three years, but there is a mini auction every year. It is usually held anytime from November to February. If there is to be a player trade – as Ashwin did say jokingly in his interview with Sanju Samson – it can take place up to one week before the auction.Related

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“I played three years for RR,” Ashwin said on his Youtube show. “After my 1st year, I got an email from the CEO saying this is your performance, this is our expectation and we’re renewing your contract. It’s one plus one plus one – the contract renewal. After every season, it’s the responsibility of the franchise to communicate to the player if they’re retaining or releasing him.”With regard to news about me or Sanju – obviously a player has the right to express interest [if he wishes to be retained or no]. Every player seeks clarity. As things stand, it’s not in my hands. I’ve just asked for clarity. The situation we’re in, all the news floating around, none of it is coming from the players. Even with Sanju’s news, it’s rumours or it’s coming from the franchise’s side. I don’t know who is making this news.”Ashwin is the fifth-highest wicket-taker in the IPL. He started with CSK, and went on to represent the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant, Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals, before returning to CSK in 2025.CSK have other calls to make as well, including captaincy, which MS Dhoni took over mid-season after Ruturaj Gaikwad injured himself. The franchise has always tended to wait for Dhoni to provide them with clarity on his availability when he starts training towards the end of the year. Last year, CSK named Gaikwad as captain even in the presence of Dhoni, which should be the case next year as well, even if Dhoni continues playing.

Northern Superchargers 214 for 5 (Perrin 101, Litchfield 35, Carey 31*) beat London Spirit 172 for 9 (Redmayne 50*, Knott 40, Ballinger 3-22, Sutherland 3-40) by 42 runsJust one delivery stood between 18-year-old Davina Perrin and a personal piece of history, but that became a mere detail when her astonishing 42-ball century powered Northern Superchargers to a record total and into Sunday’s Hundred final against Southern Brave at Lord’s.Perrin fell just short of Harry Brook’s 41-ball record for the fastest century in the competition, but her precocious efforts were more than enough to settle Saturday’s Eliminator against London Spirit at The Kia Oval, as Superchargers won by a thumping 42 runs.”One ball? Damn,” was Perrin’s response to Sky Sports immediately after the Superchargers’ innings ended on 214 for 5, the highest total of the women’s Hundred competition to date. “I’d better hit the gym so I can send those sixes a bit further.”But this was not a moment to dwell what her remarkable innings was not. This is what the women’s Hundred is about, unearthing a star of the future in a show that had first-time viewers and loyal fans transfixed.Perrin usurped the only other century in the history of the women’s competition, scored by Tammy Beaumont off 52 balls in 2023. Ending on 101 off 43, Perrin propelled Superchargers well beyond the previous team best of 181 for 3, set up for Welsh Fire by that Beaumont ton. And Perrin played the leading hand in knocking defending champions London Spirit out of the tournament.Perrin was part of the Birmingham Phoenix squads in 2022 and 2023 without playing a game, before moving to Superchargers last season, scoring 33 runs across four matches. Her previous innings of note this year had been an unbeaten 72 in her second match of the campaign as Superchargers defeated Trent Rockets by eight wickets in Nottingham.Her latest knock was impeccable. Perrin reached fifty off just 25 balls, including three sixes, over deep square leg, over long-off and then long-on all in the space of 13 deliveries.Perrin dominated a 105-run opening stand•ECB/Getty Images

She clubbed Eva Gray for a second six in one set of five – Perrin’s fourth of five in all – brilliantly over long-on again to leave Spirit in no doubt that hers was the wicket they needed. But she looked unstoppable when she cleared the boundary once more with an 82-metre slog over deep midwicket off Charli Knott.When Alice Davidson-Richards was run out attempting a second run, it ended a 49-ball opening stand worth 105.With the fastest century in the competition in sight, Perrin pulled Sarah Glenn to deep midwicket, the ball landing millimetres short of hitting the boundary cushion on the full, and she followed up immediately with another four cut expertly through backward point.Phoebe Litchfield chimed in with six, four, four off Dean as she built a handy 35 in 19 balls.While extra cover denied Perrin a run off the 41st ball she faced, that did nothing to dampen her celebrations off Gray’s next ball, as a superb late cut for four brought up her century.And she couldn’t remove the smile from her face as she strode off the field amid warm handshakes from her opponents and a standing ovation from the crowd when she was run out off a deflection from bowler Knott, after Annabel Sutherland had driven hard back down the pitch.”It felt pretty brilliant,” Perrin said. “It’s not every day you get to find yourself in that state of flow and in the zone. I’m not thinking a lot when I’m in a state of mind like that. I’m typically looking at taking every ball as it comes.”There was a time when the keeper turned to me and went, ‘Have you thought about your hundred yet?’ and I was like, ‘What, as in the competition?’ Then I was like, ‘Oh no, the hundred.’ That was the first time I glanced up at my score and I thought, ‘Ooh, this is going alright actually.'”Perrin’s innings took her into fourth place on this year’s run-scorers’ list with 243, behind only former Australia captain Meg Lanning, current Australia regular Litchfield, and England skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt.Grace Harris, now sixth on that list after an explosive start to the tournament, had a day to forget. Her only set of five, the last of Superchargers’ innings, went for 22 runs as Nicola Carey powered her way to an unbeaten 31 off just 12 balls.Harris was then bowled for a second-ball duck as Grace Ballinger put an early dent in Spirit’s response with the first of her 3 for 22 in 20 balls. Ballinger followed with the wicket of Dani Gibson, bookending Kate Cross’s dismissal of Kira Chathli as Spirit slumped to 12 for 3 after 12 deliveries.Knott offered a fighting 40 off just 16, which included a 63-run stand for the fourth wicket with Cordelia Griffith, who was caught by Davidson-Richards to give Sutherland the first of her three wickets, and Georgia Redmayne raised an unbeaten 50 off 29. But Perrin had long since broken London’s spirit.