Mandhana’s unbeaten 88 drags Manchester Super Giants out of 71 for 5 at Headingley

Manchester Super Giants were 71 for 5 chasing 143 at Headingley on 28 July, five wickets down inside 54 balls, and Smriti Mandhana was standing at the other end watching it happen. She finished on 88 not out from 50 balls, ended the match with back-to-back sixes, and took her side home by four wickets with four balls to spare.

It was her highest score in the Hundred and the sixth fifty of her career in the competition, the first of them this season. Nobody else in the Super Giants innings passed 24.

Three wickets for 10 runs, and then Mandhana on her own

The chase started well enough. Meg Lanning made 24 off 18 and the opening stand was worth 41 before she was caught by Annabel Sutherland off Cassidy McCarthy. At 61 for 2 the Super Giants were comfortably ahead of the rate.

Then it fell apart. Paige Scholfield went for 5, Richa Ghosh for 4, and Maitlan Brown was run out first ball. Mady Villiers was bowled by Jess Jonassen. Three wickets had gone for 10 runs and the strategic timeout arrived with the score 68 for 4 and Mandhana on 30.

She had already been dropped once by then, put down on 30 by Phoebe Litchfield. Litchfield would not be the last to give her a life.

A fifty off 33 balls, then the acceleration

Mandhana reached her half-century from 33 balls with six fours and a six, which for a chase that had lost half its side was measured rather than reckless. Grace Scrivens hung around for 9 off 11 and the sixth wicket did not fall until 99, by which point the equation had come back within range.

With 16 needed off 10 balls, Mandhana was dropped again on 71, Darcey Carter unable to hold on as the ball burst through her hands and ran away for four. Two balls into Sutherland’s final set, Mandhana lifted consecutive sixes over the bowler’s head to finish it. She ended with seven fours and four sixes at a strike rate of 176.

Her two catches in the field had already accounted for Litchfield and Sutherland, the two Sunrisers batters who had done the most damage. The player-of-the-match award was not a difficult decision.

Sunrisers’ 142 was nearly enough

Sunrisers Leeds had posted 142 for 4 after Manchester chose to bowl. Sutherland top-scored with 35 off 24, Litchfield made 31 off 26 and Bryony Smith 26 off 22. Dani Gibson came in at the death and hit 18 not out off 6 balls, three of them fours, which was the difference between a total Manchester could chase and one they might not have.

Kathryn Bryce, Mady Villiers and Maitlan Brown took a wicket each. Deepti Sharma, playing for Sunrisers, went wicketless from her 20 balls and conceded 30.

Three India players, one scoreboard

India had three players on the field at Headingley. Mandhana and Richa Ghosh were in the Manchester side, Deepti Sharma in the Sunrisers XI, and only one of them had an afternoon worth keeping. Ghosh made 4 off 6 during the collapse and was caught by Deepti Sharma off Dani Gibson, one India international sending another back.

The result keeps Manchester Super Giants unbeaten and moves them to second in the table on 10 points. Sunrisers Leeds stay fifth on four points after a second defeat.

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