Opening game couldn’t have gone much better, enthuses Anya Shrubsole

The England and Southern Brave bowler enjoyed the opening match of The Hundred and believes some of the negativity surrounding the tournament is beginning to fade away

The Hundred 2021: Women's team guide - Southern Brave

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The Hundred opener becomes most-watched women's cricket match in the UK: "We couldn’t have asked for a better start"

Anya Shrubsole has put her full support behind The Hundred, commenting that the opening match couldn’t have gone much better as an advert for both the competition and women’s cricket.

The opening match between Oval Invincibles and Manchester Originals on July 21 went down to the final two balls, with the London side taking a five-wicket win in front of around 7,000 fans.

And speaking ahead of her side’s match against Trent Rockets, Southern Brave bowler, Shrubsole, expressed not only her enjoyment of the tournament so far but also her belief that the negative public reaction to The Hundred is already fading away.

"I’ve just loved it," she said. "I don’t think the first game could have gone much better from an opening game point of view and I think you saw what this tournament has to offer and the quality players. I think you’re going to see many games go down to the wire.

"Lots of the stuff I saw on social media after the first game was immensely positive and you couldn’t have asked for a much better game than that first game. I would like to think some of the negativity is dissipating.

"There’ll always be people opposed to it, but that’s just life. You’re not going to please everyone, but what I do know is the players are chomping at the bit to get going and play in the competition. It can do really good things for women’s cricket and them individually."

Shrubsole, who memorably took a five-for in the 2017 Cricket World Cup on this day four years ago, also commented on the large number of families and young girls in the crowd for the tournament opener, believing it’s part of her job as a cricketer to inspire the next generation.

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"That was one of the most enjoyable things [from] watching the game at the Oval, just how many families and kids were there," she said. "It’s something definitely as an England team we’re very conscious of and I’m trying to make this team conscious of.

"Obviously, it’s about winning and doing well in this competition, but we’ve got a platform to be able to spread the game even further and get women, girls, boys, and men anting to play cricket. That is a huge part of our role."

Looking ahead to Southern Brave’s first match against Trent Rockets, Shrubsole admitted the players were learning the new format on the go.

^{Shrubsole identified Sophia Dunkley (L) and Maia Bouchier (R) as two of the players to watch in the Southern Brave squad}

"We’re still working things out," she said, when asked about the par score in The Hundred. "I think you’re probably looking at 140, 150, but it will depend. We’re playing at Trent Bridge tomorrow which is renowned for being a high-scoring ground, so that might be more like 160. We played a warm-up game at the Ageas Bowl and got 170-odd in our first innings. It’s about going out there without those pre-conceived ideas and just batting and seeing how it goes."

But despite the unfamiliar format, she believes her Southern Brave side, who are coached by former England captain Charlotte Edwards, have a squad brimming with talent.

"We’ve got an opening pair of Danni Wyatt and Smriti Mandhana and they’re about as exciting as it gets," she said while selecting her players to watch. "They’re an absolute nightmare to bowl at in the nets and I think if they get going, they’re a huge asset to us.

"Sophia Dunkley, who’s just broken out in England colours and is someone whose ceiling is so high, and Maia Bouchier. She’s someone in the next two years has the potential to play for England, so she’s someone to watch out for. I realise I’m listing the whole team here, but we’ve got a really strong group and we’re really happy with where we are as a team."