Indian batting sensation Smriti Mandhana endured another torrid outing in The Hundred Women 2024, being dismissed for a golden duck as Southern Brave faced Welsh Fire at Sophia Gardens on Monday, August 5.
Smriti Mandhana departs on the first ball of the match
The stylish opener, who managed just 15 runs in her previous match, saw her struggles continue as she fell victim to Freya Davies‘ early brilliance. A full-length delivery that nipped away outside off-stump proved too enticing for Mandhana, who edged a tentative push to wicketkeeper Sarah Bryce.
The dismissal left Mandhana in disbelief, as she were unable to build any momentum against a disciplined Welsh Fire bowling attack.
Later, all-rounder Hayley Matthews shined with the ball for Fire with an exceptional spell of 3 for 16, restricting Brave for a paltry total of 84.
Here’s the video:
Edged and GONE, first ball 🫨 🙌❤️🔥
Welsh Fire continue with their amazing form this year!#TheHundred pic.twitter.com/L5qFr6K7Ei
— The Hundred (@thehundred) August 5, 2024
Also WATCH: Alice Davidson-Richards pulls off a stunner to dismiss Fritha Morris | The Hundred Women 2024
An easy chase for Welsh Fire
Welsh Fire, despite losing Sophia Dunkley for a golden duck, comfortably chased down the target by 7 wickets remaining, with Tammy Beaumont (34 off 36) and Jess Jonassen (13 not out) leading the charge. The win propelled them to the top of the table, with 4 wins from 5 games.
“I just tried to pitch it in some really good areas – I think there was a bit in the pitch for me as a spinner. So I tried to keep my lines pretty straight and I managed to get some wickets doing that. There was a bit of turn and bounce in the pitch, so I felt the length was really important and I tried to keep the stumps in play for as long as possible,” Hayley Matthews, the Player of the Match award winner, said in the post-match presentation.
“We’ve been playing really well as a team and having everyone contribute. We obviously had a good start, getting the wicket from the first ball and we just went from there,” she added.
