Manchester Super Giants 147 for 6 (Mandhana 88*) won Leeds sunrise 142 for 4 (Sutherland 35, Litchfield 31) by four wickets
In a star-studded match featuring five Australian overseas stars and three Indians, it was Mandhana who proved the difference, notching her first fifty off a hundred of the year, her highest score of the tournament, and her 59th overall in her short career.
She had moments of luck, dropped by Phoebe Litchfield on 30, and then, at a crucial stage with 16 points needed from 10, by Darcy Carter, the ball exploded out of her hands to escape for four. Those distractions aside, it was majestic. Organizing the run chase, she was initially cautious, going on to score a half-century off 33 balls as Sunrisers looked to turn the screw.
Four wickets fell for 10 runs, but Mandhana prevailed, dominating the final quarter to take her side home with four balls to spare. She hit the winner with successive sixes, effortlessly lofted over Annabel Sutherland’s head, for a maximum of four in total, as she won the match on 88 coming from 50 balls.
Earlier in this piece, Sunrisers looked to pull off a tough score, with Australian duo Sutherland and Litchfield emerging and a flurry from skipper Danny Gibson at the death. The Super Giants’ bowlers were picked off by Katherine Price, whose errant shot caused Litchfield to be removed for 31. And it was fitting that Price was there at the end alongside Mandana to seal a famous win that lifts the Manchester franchise to 10 points from three matches, second behind Southern Brave.
Mandhana, the hero of the Meerkat match, said: “It feels great to win the match. I was a bit unlucky to miss, but still managed to get the job done. We discussed that the wicket was a bit off, it wasn’t a typical Headingley wicket, and I didn’t start the way I would have liked, but we finished well.”
“In franchise cricket, you’ll have good days and bad days, and the turnover is quick, but if you win games like that, it puts you in a good place.”
