Kia Oval Talking Points: Welsh Fire's Shabnim Ismail stars against former side

The Cricketer looks at the main talking points as Welsh Fire beat Oval Invincibles by three wickets in The Hundred women's competition

Movement That Inspires play of the day

"She obviously played with us the last two years and we had a very good partnership," said Marizanne Kapp, having watched Shabnim Ismail, her longtime South Africa teammate and a colleague for two seasons at Oval Invincibles, return to her former club in a raucous mood.

"She's a very big loss to us and I have to give credit to her, she was absolutely outstanding and came out firing, which we knew she was going to do."

Ismail has never lacked for motivation, and she was at her best in finishing with figures of 3 for 12 as Welsh Fire, last year's wooden-spoon winners, rolled Oval for 80 – their lowest-ever Hundred total – to maintain the unbeaten start for Gareth Breese's charges.

Ismail beat Suzie Bates' attempted ramp for pace, castled Mady Villiers and then hit Ryana Macdonald-Gay on the shin with her very next delivery.

In a game stacked with world-class South Africans – Kapp and Dane van Niekerk were both part of Invincibles' side – Ismail was the difference-maker and an obvious joker in the pack for a squad that last year struggled so badly but this time around sits top after three games.

^{Oval Invincibles were blown away by Welsh Fire's bowlers (Getty Images)}

Take The Lead, Drive Electric moment of the day

In the middle of a lineup featuring three overseas guns and England's white-ball opening pair, Georgia Elwiss' acquisition looks a masterstroke.

The understated allrounder made 33 with the bat, watching Sophia Dunkley and Laura Harris fall while she was at the other end, having come to the crease at 5 for 2 and only departing when there were only a further 12 runs for victory.

In the context of a game in which only three players reached double figures, it was an invaluable contribution.

She had earlier dismissed Alice Capsey and Marizanne Kapp as Oval collapsed in a heap.

^{Ismail used to play for Oval Invincibles (Getty Images)}

Invincibles no longer…

The problem with a name like that is you have nowhere to hide once you're bowled out so cheaply in front of your own supporters, but it was a marker of the competitive instincts of the two-time champions that they so nearly dragged it back for a win out of nowhere.

Between Kapp, van Niekerk and Suzie Bates, Jonahtan Batty has stacked his side with some of the game's great competitors, and it was on their say-so that Fire were made to work so hard for their win.

That there were four three first-ball ducks in Fire's innings spoke volumes for the intensity of Kapp in particular whenever the opportunity arose to make life hard for the visitors.

She called it "a wakeup call" afterwards but was not overly worried by a rare defeat for a team that doesn't often lose.

So, Kapp was livid with herself for the shy at the stumps that ran away for four overthrows when Welsh Fire were six wickets down and in danger of panicking themselves into an extraordinary implosion.

But that error – not helped by the backing up at mid-on – brought the equation down to five runs needed, at which point not even a final scare when Freya Davies cut to cover could impact the final outcome.