NOS VS LNS MATCH 29

Right then, it was a damp end to the day but not before we had some entertaining action. Earlier, in the Women's Hundred, the Northern Superchargers were knocked out by the London Spirit, ending their campaign. On the men's side, Harry Brook and his team responded well to their must-win situation, keeping their hopes alive for a top-three finish. It’s not all doom and gloom for the London Spirit as a franchise though as Heather Knight and Co are in contention for a top-three finish in the Women's Hundred. The Hundred has your mid-week entertainment lined up with four exciting games on Wednesday, August 14. First up, the Southern Brave Women will face the Welsh Fire Women at 4 pm IST (10.30 am GMT), followed by the men’s clash at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT). Simultaneously, in Nottingham, the Trent Rockets Women will take on the Oval Invincibles Women at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT), with the men’s match set to follow at 11 pm IST (5.30 pm GMT). As always, our build-up for all four games will kick off earlier. Cheers!

Adil Rashid is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his stellar bowling. He says that it's an unfortunate way to end but they will take it any day. He continues that they are pretty confident as they have a good squad and the players are also in top form. He also says that they have not qualified yet, they have to wait for the other matches and see if the luck favours them. Ends up saying that he has enjoyed a lot playing with skipper Harry Brook, who has given him a lot of freedom.

Earlier in the game, after being put into bat under gloomy overhead conditions, the London Spirit found themselves in early trouble. Things went from bad to worse when Keaton Jennings fell after a promising start. With three wickets lost in the Powerplay, the Spirit struggled to regain momentum as Adil Rashid spun a web around them. However, a crucial 49-run partnership between Liam Dawson and Ravi Bopara helped the Spirit reach a total of 111 after being in a dire situation at 62/6. For the Superchargers, Adil Rashid was the standout performer with figures of 3 for 16 from his 20 balls, while Reece Topley and Matthew Potts chipped in with two wickets each.

With only 111 runs to defend, the London Spirit were on the hunt for early wickets. However, they failed to make breakthroughs and couldn’t keep the Superchargers’ openers under control. Both Matthew Short and Graham Clark came out all guns blazing and broke the back of the chase with a dominant 47-run Powerplay. Their dominant start put the Superchargers in a commanding position, ensuring they stayed well ahead of the required rate with the looming rain. The weather eventually intervened with the Superchargers 21 runs ahead of the DLS par score of 43, bringing an abrupt end to the game.

The Northern Superchargers secure two crucial points that keep them in the race for a top-three finish! With this result, they climb to second in the standings but aren’t guaranteed a top-three spot just yet. With 11 points on the board, the Superchargers now need a slip-up from either the Southern Brave or Birmingham Phoenix, who currently sit on 10 points. Meanwhile, the London Spirit’s campaign ends with this defeat, leaving them at the bottom of the table for now.

UPDATE - 1.20 am IST (7.50 pm GMT, the previous day) - IT'S OFFICIAL! It has started to rain even heavier and the umpires reckon that we will not be able to get back on the park before the cut-off time of 2.01 am IST (8.31 pm GMT, the previous day). Northern Superchargers WIN BY 21 RUNS (DLS METHOD).

UPDATE - 1.08 am IST (7.38 pm GMT, the previous day) - The umpires have had enough and have called for the covers. It has started to rain heavily and the players are walking off the field. Northern Superchargers are 21 runs ahead on DLS at the moment. We shall have some official news very soon. Stay tuned.

Full and angling in, on middle, Ollie Robinson works it with the angle to deep mid-wicket for a single.

Pace on and a hard length, on off, Matthew Short hangs back and punches it down to long on for one more run.

On a nagging length, on off, Ollie Robinson whips it down the ground to long on for a single.

Takes pace off and bowls it on a back of a length, around off, Ollie Robinson chops it in front of cover. It has started to rain and quit heavily too but we stay on for now.

Shortish on middle and angling it down the leg. Matthew Short gets cramped for room and ends up easing it back to the bowler.

Short on middle. Matthew Short defends it back to the bowler.

Darted in, full and on middle, Ollie Robinson punches it to deep point for a single.

Fuller on the pads. Matthew Short comes forward and knocks it towards long on for a run.

On a length on off. Ollie Robinson punches it towards cover for a single.

Fuller on middle. Ollie Robinson tries to punch it towards his cover but gets a thick inner edge and the ball rolls towards wide long on for a couple of runs.