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The Timeline - Women's Eliminator: Oval Invincibles v Birmingham Phoenix

SHIVAM PATHAK reviews the key moments in a low-scoring thriller at The Oval, as Birmingham Phoenix collapsed and were skittled 20 runs shy of their target

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Shivam Pathak | 20/08/2021 at 17:30

Scorecard

Oval Invincibles have marched into tomorrow's final against Southern Brave at Lord's after a fielding performance which saw them remarkably defend 114 in South London.

With the unofficial home advantage, the Invincibles were put in to bat first - and a fourth wicket partnership between Marizanne Kapp and Alice Capsey brought them to a defendable total.

In reply, the Phoenix lost both of their openers for a duck. Amy Jones seemed to have steered proceedings back in their favour, but her dismissal sparked a collapse which included two phenomenal catches as her team were bowled out. 

Here's how it happened...

Ball 2: Cover driven for four! Excellent stroke. Issy Wong pitches full, angling into the pads, and but Georgia Adams opens up the face and fires through the off-side for our first boundary. 4-0

Ball 4: Review taken - got 'er! Early breakthrough. There wasn't much of an initial appeal, as Wong and keeper Jones ask the question. Wider, driven by Adams, Jones as captain goes upstairs - there's a nick on the Ultra-edge and Phoenix are delighted. 5-1

Ball 11: Van Niekerk survives the review! Kirstie Gordon can't believe it. Floated up on middle, it strikes the knee-roll - looks good, but the umpire shakes his head. The review is taken near instantly, and when Ultra-Edge confirms no bat involved, DVN starts to walk! But it's actually bouncing just a bit too high and missing the top of off: she puts her gloves back on and walks to the crease again with a smile. 8-1

Ball 15: Four for Wilson. Kirstie Gordon floats it towards the pads and Wilson is able to quickly sweep, it trickles through fine leg where the fielder's chase is in vain. 13-1

Ball 17: In the air and gone! Van Niekerk has to go now. Emily Arlott has the snag Birmingham were after - as she slows it down and goes shorter, tempting Van Niekerk to saunter out of her crease - but she fires right to Kelly on the ring at mid-on! 15-1

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Ball 30: Full toss - dispatched. Abtaha Maqsood grimaces right away - it's much too full and Wilson is able to whip it through square for four. 29-2

Ball 37: Taken! Caught and bowled! The dangerous Wilson goes - another frustrating performance froand the 'visitors' are in real command early on. A touch wider from Gordon this time, Wilson shuffles back and looks to clatter through mid-off, but she fires low and right back into the bowler's arms. 36-3

Ball 44: Excellent stroke from Kapp! A bit too full from Maqsood, and Kapp is able to lean back before clattering through covers for another boundary. 42-3

Ball 61: Cracked! Lovely shot. Line and length is primed to be lifted - and Alice Capsey obliges, firing over mid-off and getting the bounce for four. 61-3

Ball 66: Another boundary! Gordon goes for the width again but the length is ideal for Kapp, who grounds her trailing foot before slotting it nicely through extra cover. 67-3

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Ball 71: Six! Marizanne Kapp on the charge. Issy Wong pitches short and Kapp doesn't miss out. Leaning back, she swings high and long, sailing just wide of cow corner, over the rope for the first maximum of the day. 82-3

Ball 81: Straight up in the air - taken! Kapp has to walk, when she would have wanted to bat through the innings. The tempter from Erin Burns works - shorter and skidding off the bounce: Kapp doesn't get enough under it and it loops off to mid-on, where Emily Arlott gets under it in time and makes the grab. 90-4

Ball 91: Run-out! Capsey is well short. This time, it's Mady Villiers who fires through square, and they look to scamper home for a second. It's not on and Katie Mack throws back to the bowler's end where the third umpire is not required. 99-5

Ball 92: Gone! Two-for-two! Villiers trudges back to the hutch. Gordon floats full and on middle - Villiers look to smack it into the crowd but it's not off the middle of the bat. It loops up to deep midwicket where Mack makes no mistake. 99-6

Ball 97: Another run-out! Gardner goes. Fired away through the leg side, once again there's a call for a second, but there's no chance of that. Gardner is caught a long way from home as Davies throws it back in. 105-7

It's not the total the Invincibles would have wanted. Kapp and Capsey were both impressive, pitching up in the middle order, giving them a defendable total -the former saying in her half-time analysis that it was a tough wicket to bat on. Can the Phoenix chase it down and progress to tomorrow's final?

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Ball 3: Edged and gone! Kapp strikes! They needed a good start and they have it. Marizanne Kapp goes fuller, and it's much wider too, bouncing app and Mack looks to drive. It kisses the outsie edge and Bryce with the gloves is potent. 0-1

Ball 4: Shot! Four for Amy Jones. It's a touch too wide and full from Kapp this time, and Jones doesn't wait around to get started, stepping out and firing through covers. 4-1

Ball 9: Another boundary. A bit too short from Shabnim Ismail this time, allowing Jones to just lean back before hooking it over the ring, through the off-side and getting four. 8-1

Ball 13: Caught behind! Evelyn Jones goes first ball! She grits her teeth as she walks - she's had to wait two full sets to face her first, and Kapp's quicker one does the trick as it bounces a bit lower, taking the bottom edge and sailing through to Bryce. Both openers out for nought. 14-2

Ball 20: Boundary for Burns! Not pretty, but that doesn't matter. Fuller and wide of off from Tash Farrant, Burns looks to push through covers but it takes an outside edge and trickles through third man for four. 25-2

Ball 23: Clever stroke! Four for Amy Jones. Shorter from Shabnim Ismail, allowing the batter to step across nice and early before scooping through fine leg, where there is no fielder to stop it. 29-2

Ball 33: That's another! Cracked through covers. She's the wicket the Invincibles want. A touch too short from Capsey, and Jones plants her back foot before firing through the off-side. 44-2

Ball 38: Put down by Bryce! She can't believe it, having already taken two this innings. Shorter from Shabnim Ismail, on on the off stump and Burns swings - finding a nick and Bryce can't hold on at her midriff. 47-2

Ball 48: Flicked away for four! Kapp visibly frustrated at this, as she bounces it in too full, sitting up nicely for Jones who angles herself away and uses the momentum of the ball to fire wide of fine leg. 67-2

Ball 50: Taken! What a catch by Tash Farrant! A lifeline, and what a way to get it. Marizanne Kapp comes back into the attack and they have a reward. Fuller from Kapp, Erin Burns looks to loft it over covers but it's flatter that what she would have liked. Farrant dashes towards the flight, covering a good few yards before leaping like a goalkeeper to make the catch. Brilliant work. 66-3

Ball 51: Gone! Two in two, and Eve Jones departs! Massive moment. This is a lazy stroke from Jones and her reaction walking off shows she clearly knows it. The standard tempter - full and wide from Tash Farrant, she drives straight to van Niekerk on the ring. Not a bad last couple of balls for the bowler. 66-4

Ball 60: Boundary! Gwenan Davies gets four. A shorter one from Capsey, and Davies is able to shuffle back before opening the face and hooking through midwicket, piercing the two ring fielders and the sweeper. 73-4

Ball 68: Wicket! Van Niekerk bowls and catches! Full and on middle from the skipper, and you just can't keep her out of the game - cracked back at her by Marie Kelly, and she's able to step across and reactively snag on her follow-through. 81-5

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Ball 75: Castled! Leg stump is demolished.  Issy Wong has to go here. Tossed up on the back pad by Ismail, Wong goes all the way across and looks to scoop over the backward square area, but she misses the swing and the wicket is disturbed. 84-6

Ball 78: Loops up, taken! Davies goes now, and the Phoenix are fading. The slower ball from Farrant does the trick, as she looks to shuffle across and muller over square - but it's top edged towards short fine - Bryce calls, reads and grabs - the Oval crowd loving this! 85-7

Ball 85: Caught and bowled! What a take that is! Capsey's turn this time to get in on the catching fun. Floated up on off, Elwiss shuffles and looks to scoop through long-off, but Capsey jumps up to her left and grabs it in the air with one hand! Magnifique! 87-8

Ball 92: Gone again! Farrant strikes and Phoenix nine down! Fuller from the pace bowler, Arlott just steps out and looks to fire hard over long-on. There's not enough pace and there's too much height - in comes Ismail and gets under it. 93-9

Ball 94: Fires to cover, taken! Invincibles are in the final! Tash Farrant has another, Kapp makes the catch. A collapse from the Phoenix but a near-flawless fielding performance from Dane van Niekerk's side send them to Lord's tomorrow! 94-10A/O

Oval Invincibles 114-7 off 100 balls

Birmingham Phoenix 94 all out off 94 balls

Oval Invincibles win!

Tash Farrant, who took four wickets at the cost of just 10 runs, was named Hero of the Match. "I'm just so proud of the girls", she said. "We stuck in there - we knew we didn't get enough runs, but with that bowling attack we were really confident - it was an unbelievable effort."

"[Van Niekerk] told us to leave nothing on the pitch and give it 100%. We've been bowling well all tournament, so we knew we could defend that total. Luckily, it paid off."

On her catch, she commented: "I just threw my body at it, to be honest! I knew that we needed something special because they were building a really nice partnership, and obviously Amy Jones is a gun batter. We pride ourselves in our fielding. We weren't really that happy with how we fielded in the last game, so we wanted to put that right."

Invincibles skipper Van Niekerk, whose two runs with the bat was more than made up for by her bowling and captaincy in the second innings, said: "It's been great - our bowling has just clicked. Hopefully one day the batting can join them!"

"We dig ourselves out of trouble with exceptional bowling and executing our plans. We speak about it a lot - it's like it comes naturally to the team and the bowlers, so very pleased as a captain, especially as a captain. Halfway through the second innings, we were in a bit of trouble especially with Amy [Jones] coming in and hitting the ball as cleanly as she did."

"We have a bit of momentum going into the final tomorrow. Obviously, it's a very quick turnaround, but anything can happen in a final so we hopefully we can rock up and give it a good shot. The Hundred has been incredible for the women's game and hopefully we can do it justice tomorrow."

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