.png)
Kiwi Cricket Kōrero host and writer Ellie Indie writes on the third match of the Women’s Super Smash 2022–23 season (originally written 27/12/22)
With standout performances from Amy Satterthwaite, currently on a fine run of form, Canterbury keeper Laura Hughes, Auckland’s batting star Saachi Shahri and Bella Armstrong as her accomplice, a fixture that had previously been dominated by the Hearts had a new victor — with the Magicians winning in fine fashion in front of a Boxing Day home crowd by 6 wickets.
Catch up on all the day’s action here
Canterbury Magicians vs Auckland Hearts at Hagley Oval, Christchurch
Coming into the match…
Canterbury come into the game on a high from their hard fought 14 run win over the Northern Brave.
The last time the two teams faced off at Hagley Oval, Auckland Hearts lost the toss, batted first and won by 8 runs.
Canterbury Magicians playing XI: Amy Satterthwaite ©, Kate Anderson, Sarah Asmussen, Missy Banks, Nat Cox, Jodie Dean, Abigale Gerken, Laura Hughes, Izzy Sharp, Gabby Sullivan, Lea Tahuhu.
IN: Izzy Sharp. OUT: Jacinta Savage
The Magicians keep a relatively similar XI that won them that tense 14 run win over the Northern Brave — barring one change. Izzy Sharp has been added to the squad in place of Jacinta Savage, making her T20 debut. Sharp has been selected as a part of New Zealand Women’s U19 side for the U19 T20 World Cup.
Auckland Hearts playing XI: Bella Armstrong, Skye Bowden, Anna Browning, Lauren Down ©, Izzy Gaze, Amie Hucker, Fran Jonas, Arlene Kelly, Molly Penfold, Katie Perkins, Saachi Shahri.
The Hearts first squad of the season has a new face in the side. Makayla Templeton was a part of the Northern Brave set up last season, but made the move down south to the Hearts as a contracted player. Arlene Kelly, while not a new face, brings a fresh batch of experience and knowledge to her team. Over the NZ off-season, Kelly found herself a member of multiple Ireland squads: touring Pakistan, playing South Africa at home and a member of the T20 World Cup qualifiers side. Kelly also boasts a new record — she has the highest number of runs (28*) in a certain batting position (9) in women’s T20is. Browning (on Super Smash debut), Gaze and Hucker all come back from an NZ Development trip to India, ready to apply their learnings to the Super Smash.
Auckland won the toss, batted first.
A decision that shocked a fair few, Auckland batted first on the grassy Hagley wicket. Missy Banks started the day off bowling to Saachi Shahri and debutant Anna Browning. 4 runs coming off 3 wides put a damper on what was a well bowled over, restricting them to just the 4 from legal balls. Gabby Sullivan with a great dive at extra cover to prevent the first boundary of the innings.
Tahuhu kept it tight her first, a half-hearted lbw call and an odd edge from Browning saw her concede just the 4 runs. Shahri showed intent early on, sending it over to the offside saw the first 3, cut off by Asmussen in the deep to her dismay. Hearts 13–0 after 2.
After, Browning showed Gabby Sullivan to the ropes for a well earned four — unfortunately being her last runs of the proceedings as she was stumped by a speedy Laura Hughes for 6 runs. Skipper Lauren Down was brought to the crease, unaffected by the wicket with a 4 toward cover. Shahri followed suit, sending it high to the onside, falling short for another 4. Hearts, recovering well after an early wicket, 31–1 after 4.
Lauren Down shot one in the way of Abigale Gerken, who’d originally caught it in an impressive diving effort, only for the ball to spring back out of her hands. Hearts let off with an early one — however pressure building after Sullivans 5 consecutive dots and the Magicians rapid fielding. Hearts 43–1 after the powerplay.
The run rate slowed down soon after the powerplay and Down was visibly struggling against Canterbury’s varied attack. Shahri seeked the strike often to not only gather runs but support her non-striker. Shots from Down to the onside showed an increase in confidence, just unable to find the gaps. Another drop catch assisted the Hearts fate in the game, Sullivan running in from the deep unable to time the catch correctly. Hearts 65–1 midway through the innings.
Shahri punched Tahuhu’s first delivery down the ground for another four to her tally. Down attempting to do the same toward midwicket saw the grip of Asmussen rather than the boundary, out for 13 runs from 23 balls in what was a struggling campaign from the Hearts captain. Izzy Gaze saw a promotion up the order to four, as the Hearts ended up 78–2 after 11.3.
Inevitably Shahri brought up her 50 with a single at the end of the 12th, in 41 balls striking at 121.95 with six fours. A well deserved milestone and her first of the kind in the T20 format, the Hearts were 80–2 after 12.
Hesitation for the second run left Izzy Gaze with no time to get back, leaving bowler Sullivan to smash the bails off the stumps via a strong throw from Tahuhu. Having only faced 4 balls, she scored 3 runs. Auckland faced a mini slump with a decreasing run rate, the side needed something to help power them to the sub 140 mark. The Hearts 86–3 after 13.1.
Bella Armstrong with a big hit over cover for 4, Shahri with a pull along the ground for 4 to bring up the team 100 — things started to look up for the side. Both batters with the same approach left Asmussen frustrated, a flurry of boundaries disrupting her groove. It was their biggest over yet; 12 runs from the spin of Asmussen put them in a comfortable position.
An outstanding knock from Shahri, brought to an end via a run out, for 68 runs from 55 balls. One that got her team out of early trouble and the most runs of the innings. Her aggressive yet well timed and class shots resulted in eight fours. Despite the fall of a crucial wicket, Armstrong kept the score running at the same rate. Missy Banks escaped the over by dishing out 11 runs, ending the day on 0–36. The Hearts were 123–4 after 17.
Another opportunity for the Magicians missed — Nat Cox dropping Armstrong in a similar fashion to Sullivan prior, their fielding previously preventing the bigs runs; now dropping important catches and finding their gaps exploited. The Hearts were 131–4 after 18.
A fairly uneventful final two overs, containing mainly singles and dots, given the innings showcase, Auckland ended on 144–4, with outstanding performances from Saachi Shahri and Bella Armstrong.
Innings breakdown:
Canterbury kept them fairly restricted in the beginning, with some close and concise fielding they were able to keep out lucky 4s and stop them running 1 or 2. It fell apart for them when Shahri was able to get into the innings and expose their weak spots. Technically, one of the best batters in the country, frequently misplaced by Auckland. Today everything was right for the Hearts batter, from her position to the outfield, allowing her to power along the innings to her best T20 score to date.
Bella Armstrong was also able to take advantage of the conditions, with Canterbury slightly startled on how to cope with the blow of runs via Shahri, it was the perfect time for Armstrong to exploit and score big quickly. 140 was below par though, and well within Canterbury’s reach given coach Rhys Morgan’s plans.
The theme of the innings was set early on by Nat Cox — sending Fran Jonas to the offside for 4 and getting Canterbury off to a winning start with 11 runs off the first. Cox then tore apart Amie Hucker, keeping to her aggressive intent and squeezing extra runs in the field where she could. The Magicians were 21–0 after the first 2.
Jonas recovered from her first, giving away a single run and slowing down the quick progress the batters had made early on in the powerplay. It set Molly Penfold up for success in her second delivery, opener Anderson out after a perhaps pressured attempt; a shot to Gaze soon saw the end of her innings. The Magicians were 33–1 after 5.
Hucker then saw the last of the opening duo with a catch from Skye Bowden off Nat Cox for 21 off 17, a short lived innings with some bold statements. An ideal start for the Magicians with their star batter coming in at 4 to make up for the wicket, with the Magicians 38–2 at the end of the powerplay.
While she had a golden innings with the bat, the Canterbury batters took their revenge on Bella Armstrong by tonking 16 runs out of her first over. As a result skipper Down persisted with Penfold for 3 overs on the trot given her match up with Amy Satterthwaite, the swing she was getting from the wicket and the fact she seemed to be succeeding well early on in the innings.
A bold call, going for 7 runs without a wicket or near breakthrough in the over. It left Auckland with only one more over from Penfold, with perhaps an unnecessarily wasted over. Magicians 65–2 after 7.
Another over giving the Magicians the easy route to the total from Arlene Kelly. Similarly had a great first over, but Canterbury found gaps and runs in the field. Browning was Auckland’s 6th bowler to be used, and was equally given no welcome by the batters. Three fours in the over with two singles brought Canterbury closer to the target than Auckland would have liked them to be, they went from 74–2 to 88–2 in the 11th.
Laura Hughes fell victim to an odd run out, Satterthwaite hitting the ball right back at the stumps — with Jonas getting a hand on it as it hit the stumps, as Hughes was out of her crease by just a few frames. A cruel way to go, she was out for 26 runs off 21 balls. Izzy
Sharp was brought to the crease on her T20 debut. Magicians were 93–3 after 12.
An improved over from Armstrong, Sharp and Satterthwaite only able to run 1s and 2s. Hucker took after her Hearts bowling teammate, keeping a tight over. It all felt a little too late for the Hearts however, with Canterbury 104–3 after 14 overs, the total was in sight only requiring 40 in 36 balls.
Penfold bowled her last over, the 5th, including a pull from Sharp to the offside for 4. Ultimately it was a risk from Down that didn’t pay off in a desperate attempt at seeing the end of Amy Satterthwaite. Penfold herself had had a decent game, 1–24 and generally her game looked to improve over the offseason given the reduced number of extras and her accuracy. Magicians were 113–3.
Sharp played an excellent shot to the cover boundary for 4 during Hucker’s final over, looking at ease and almost used to her place in the side, an over later she was to be bowled by Kelly for 17 runs from 16. Impressive on her debut with an array of shots, Izzy Sharp is bound to go far in her career — she’s only 18 right now! Lea Tahuhu came with impact immediately with a whack to the onside, sprinting away to the rope. Magicians 136–4 after 18, 9 from 12 needed.
It was all won in the 19th over for Canterbury, 2 needed off the final ball of the over and the win was theirs, despite Penfold’s hard efforts in the deep to prevent any boundary that over. Amy Satterthwaite once more sticking around to the end for her team and this time directly winning it for them. The Magicians won by 6 wickets.
Innings breakdown:
There was no stopping Canterbury today. It does beg the question — will anybody stop Canterbury? From the get go, Nat Cox was all over the scene with boundaries galore and some good running between the wickets from her and Kate Anderson. The main focus of their innings once again was skipper Amy Satterthwaite, simply taking the lead and controlling proceedings from then onwards. Auckland were always going to struggle with the total they’d put up despite Shahri’s heroics, with a few too many extras and some freebies for the batters it swayed frequently the Cantabs way.
Player of the match:
There’s no stopping Amy Satterthwaite as of late, after winning the WBBL08 with the Adelaide Strikers as assistant coach she’s come into the Super Smash in blistering form. 50 runs off 46 balls finishing not out, assisting the run out of Shahri and a well bowled 4 overs for just 19 runs, Satterthwaite once again providing the goods for her side. Saachi Shahri had one of (if not) her best T20 innings to date. 66 off 58 with some inventive shots gave her side the start they needed. Bella Armstrong joined her temporarily with a similar story, 33* off 25 for her.
The Player of the Match was, unsurprisingly, Amy Satterthwaite.
Comentarios