In an electrifying match at Lord's, London Spirit and Oval Invincibles ended in a tie, witnessed by a lively crowd of 17,810. The dramatic final ball saw Charlie Dean execute a run-out, thwarting Ryana MacDonald-Gay and Jo Gardner’s attempt to secure a victory, which had seemed within reach for the visitors.
The match was highlighted by outstanding all-round performances from international stars. South Africa’s Marizanne Kapp excelled for the Invincibles, taking 4 for 11 and scoring a rapid 47, while India’s Deepti Sharma impressed for Spirit with 3 for 18 after contributing 44 with the bat.
Kapp expressed her frustration after the match, stating that her dismissal was crucial, costing her team the game. She mentioned that the strategy was to stay at the crease and face the best bowlers, trying to keep the scoreboard ticking.
Invincibles captain Lauren Winfield-Hill’s decision to bowl first paid off immediately, with Kapp dismissing Meg Lanning on the fourth ball. Although Cordelia Griffith and Georgia Redmayne responded well, Kapp bowled both players as soon as the Power play restrictions were lifted.
Ryana MacDonald-Gay maintained the Invincibles' momentum, bowling Dani Gibson before Kapp ended her spell by dismissing Heather Knight, marking her fourth clean-bowled wicket of the innings.
Deepti Sharma led Spirit’s recovery, scoring a measured 44 off 34 balls. With support from Dean and Eva Gray, Spirit reached 113 for 9, despite a series of late wickets, including two in two balls by Sophia Smale.
In their chase, Spirit lost both openers early. Chamari Athapaththu was caught off Tara Norris, and Winfield-Hill was stumped by Redmayne off Eva Gray’s bowling.
Kapp then spearheaded the Invincibles’ response, scoring a sweep-heavy 47 off 32 balls. Her partnership with Alice Capsey, who scored 31 off 19 balls, added 55 runs before Deepti dismissed Capsey.
Dean’s spectacular catch off Deepti’s bowling removed Paige Scholfield, and the chase became more difficult as Deepti bowled Mady Villiers and Sarah Glenn ran Amanda-Jade Wellington out, leaving the visitors needing 32 runs from 32 balls with six wickets down.
Kapp’s assured partnership with Gardner ended when Deepti bowled her with just four runs needed from eight balls. MacDonald-Gay and Gardner couldn’t finish the job, as Gibson held her nerve with the ball and Dean's accurate throw from the deep found Redmayne, leaving MacDonald-Gay short of her ground, and the match ended in a thrilling tie.