The Timeline: London Spirit Women v Southern Brave Women

NICK HOWSON AT LORD'S looks at the stand-out moments during the opening game of the double-header at the home of cricket

Scorecard

Southern Brave made it four wins out of four after easing to victory over London Spirit in the women's Hundred at Lord's.

Tammy Beaumont (34) was the only one of the hosts' line-up to reach double figures as Spirit were bowled out for 93 in 96 balls.

Brave were never under pressure in the chase and strolled to victory to maintain their 100 per cent record and go top of the table. 

Brave won the toss and on a fresh pitch have opted to bowl first.

Ball 6: What are they running for? Tammy Beaumont calls Naomi Dattani through (it wasn't her call) and Amanda-Jade Wellington picks up the ball and hits the stumps with the Spirit opener not even in the same postcode. Lauren Bell making it all happen again.

Ball 10: That's just a flick from Beaumont which goes all the way for six. Two fielders converge on it but it beats them both.

Ball 17: Brave haven't found their radar in these conditions yet. Tara Norris darts one in and it beats everything and ends up hitting the rope. Spirit will take all of these.

Ball 23: We've had some wretched cricket on either side of the restart and this is the lowest point. Shrubsole drifts down the leg-side again and it goes to the boundary. That's five more to the total. I'm not even sure this is a case of not dealing with the slope.

Ball 33: What a strange innings from Dottin. She's watched the runs flow from bowling errors and one the time she tries to push on herself, she's sent back to the pavilion. The West Indies batter finds long-off where Maia Boucher is waiting.

Ball 44: That's a strange one from Heather Knight, who picks out the fielder perfectly. A bit like the other day, this isn't a game to look back on too fondly.

^{Tammy Beaumont was the only Spirit batter to reach double figures}

Ball 45: Gone first ball! Two in two for Wellington, who is having a fine game amid the chaos going on around her. Deepti Sharma pokes at the ball, overbalances and Carla Rudd does the rest. This has been all sorts of average from Spirit.

Ball 56: Shot of the innings from Beaumont, cracking the ball through the gap at long-on. Spirit need a few more of those.

Ball 61: And again. Spirit building up ahead of steam as Beaumont finds the rope again.

Ball 68: The timeout has worked and Brave have the breakthrough. Lauren Bell thinks she has Tryon trapped in front. They go up for the review and the replays agree. That was a deceptively full-pitched delivery.

Ball 78: Charlotte Dean won't want to see this one again. Fi Morris pitches one full and she slashes across the line and misses. The bails follow.

Ball 85: Wellington is bowling superbly here and she does Amara Carr with a bit of turn and Rudd does the rest. Spirit need some heroics just to see out the innings.

Ball 92: Rudd on the ball once again and whips the bails off again as Danielle Gibson is flummoxed by spin again.

That looks like a well under-par total from Spirit. The Brave only need 94...

Ball 5: Down! Spirit have to take all of these if they're to stand any chance. Sharma puts down Danni Wyatt.

Ball 10: Another close call for the Brave as Wyatt gets a top-edge but the ball lands safe. Nothing going to way of Spirit.

Ball 13: Don't bowl there. Wyatt throws her wrists at a hint of width and it clatters through backward point.

Ball 14: Same again for Wyatt, who looks in decent touch here. This leaves her bat as quickly as it got there and she has another four.

Ball 19: Mandhana not at her best and her fellow countrywomen gets her, via a Knight review. A timely breakthrough, just as Brave looked like getting this done is a jiffy.

Ball 23: Worth the admission price alone! Sophia Dunkley times the pants of this one, clipping through mid-wicket.

Ball 30: Dunkley looking a class apart here. Overpitched from Munro and the England international takes fully advantage as she plunders the ball through the covers.

Ball 34: Spirit are creating opportunities that they are simply not taking. Wyatt dances down to Dean, misses the ball and Carr can't convert the opportunity.

Ball 38: Wyatt departs but the damage has been done. Carr takes the bails off this time and the England opener has to go!

Ball 53: I'm not entirely sure we're worthy of Sophia Dunkley in this mood. This time off the back foot she carves the ball through long-on.

👏 BRAVE GO FOUR FROM FOUR 👏

Four wins on the bounce for #SouthernBrave 🟢, who return to the top of the table after a comfortable win over #LondonSpirit 🔵#TheHundred 💯 | #RainbowLaces 🌈

🪜 Latest standings 👉 https://t.co/kqtL6CMx3J pic.twitter.com/iQasbm9BbT

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 1, 2021

Ball 58: You hate to over-criticise, but this was another chance for Carr who isn't having the best afternoon. Dean finds the edge of Dunkley's but the keeper can't do the rest.

Ball 70: After some near-misses Bouchier finally gets one out of the middle, sending the ball over long-on for six. That should calm the nerves.

Ball 81: Not great fielding. Stafanie Taylor gets a welcome boundary off Sharma, sweeping through the legs of the fielder at short backward square.

Ball 92: That'll do it! Taylor finishes with 29 from 32 deliveries with just her second four. Not a classic game by any means but Brave make it four from four.

"We came back really well to restrict them to under 100 and I couldn't be prouder of the girls," said the player of the match Wellington. "Hopefully, I can continue my good form for the team. I'm focussing on consistently performing. If we keep going the way we are going, hopefully, we can make it to the end."

London Spirit: 93 runs from 96 balls (Six fours, one six)

Southern Brave: 97 runs from 92 balls (Eight fours, one six)

Souther Brave win!