Twitter Reactions: Marizanne Kapp’s all-round brilliance powers Oval Invincibles to The Hundred Women’s title

The inaugural edition of the Women’s Hundred competition has come to an end and Oval Invincibles Women have emerged victorious. It was indeed a thrilling contest with bowlers doing the most of the talking. Not many expected Invincibles to defend 122 on a decent Lord’s track. However, Southern Brave put up a horrendous show with the bat as the Dane van Niekerk-led side walked away with a 48-run triumph.

Notably, Southern Brave stepped onto the field as favourites as they won seven of their eight league-stage games and qualified for the final without any hassle. On the other hand, Oval Invincibles blew hot and cold the group stage, having won just four of their eight games. However, they thrashed Birmingham Phoenix in the Eliminator and made a place in the summit clash.

Brave’s skipper Anya Shrubsole won the toss in the ultimate encounter and asked Invincibles to bat first. The decision seemed spot on with dashing opener Georgia Adams getting dismissed for four. Skipper Dane van Niekerk (26) and Fran Wilson (25) did rebuild the innings but the scoring rate was never healthy.

Marizanne Kapp unleashed her all-round brilliance

The duo passed the baton to Marizanne Kapp and Alice Capsey and the two dashers somewhat up the ante. They played some aggressive shots as Oval Invincibles advanced to a respectable total of 121/6. For Southern Brave, Anya Shrubsole and Lauren Bell were the pick of the bowlers, scalping two wickets apiece.

With the Invincibles posting a mediocre-looking total, Southern Brave’s triumph seemed a mere formality. However, the bowlers had some different ideas. After shining with the bat, Kapp breathed fire with the bat and ran through the opposition’s batting order. Her four-wicket haul meant four of Brave’s top-six batters bagged a duck.

The Anya Shrubsole-led side couldn’t recover from the top-order collapse as Oval Invincibles tightened their grip over the contest. Although Fi Morris put up a commendable fight, she could only narrow down the margin of defeat. As a result, Southern Brave got bundled out for 73 runs, losing the contest by 48 runs. While Marizanne Kapp was named the Player of the match, her fellow South African teammate Dane van Niekerk received the Player-of-the-Series award.

Meanwhile, let’s look at how Twitterati reacted to Oval Invincibles’ triumph