The Northern Brave have qualified for the Super Smash T20 women’s elimination final after beating the Otago Sparks in a rain-affected match at Dunedin’s University Oval today.
Had the match been washed out the Sparks would have qualified but instead it was the Brave who go through after posting 94-1 before rain stopped play after 12 overs and limiting Otago to 64-6 off nine overs. The Sparks’ revised target was 87, meaning the Brave won by 22 runs.
The Brave will now go up against the Central Hinds in Friday’s knockout match for the last spot in Sunday’s grand final. The winner of Friday's game will play top qualifier the Wellington Blaze in Auckland.
Not only that, but the Brave have earned the right to host the elimination match after finishing equal on points but ahead of the Hinds' net run rate.
Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu set up today's victory by continuing her rich vein of form in her maiden season of Super Smash, powering the Brave to 68-0.
The opener was on the cusp of what would have been her second 50 in the competition when the Sparks broke through - Felicity Robertson securing a catch in the deep off English import Linsey Smith to remove Athapaththu for 46, a knock which included seven fours and two sixes.
The DLS calculator had to be used a couple of times due to rain interruptions, the Brave finishing their 12 overs at 94-1 and the Sparks eventually requiring 87 runs off nine overs.
The Sparks were still an outside chance when, needing 70 from 40 balls, they lost their biggest wicket in Suzie Bates, one of the top two run scorers in the league his summer, who was run out for eight by Eve Wolland.
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