Nat Sciver-Brunt finally nudged the Women’s Premier League past its odd hoodoo with the nineties, carving a measured yet forceful 100* that lifted Mumbai Indians to 199 for 4 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Vadodara on Monday.
The right-hander arrived at 16 for 1 in the third over, aware that Smriti Mandhana (96) and Sophie Devine (95) had both stalled within touching distance of three figures earlier in the campaign. ‘Yeah, obviously I’d seen a few players get out in the 90s, so I didn’t want to replicate that,’ Sciver-Brunt admitted afterwards. ‘But I also wanted to get as many runs as possible for the team.’
She did both. A 131-run stand in 73 balls with Hayley Matthews steadied and then accelerated the innings, Matthews looking none the worse for a month on the physio’s table. Sciver-Brunt followed that with a breezy 42 off 25 alongside captain Harmanpreet Kaur, power-hitting without the frantic swipes that often lead to late-innings chaos.
The hundred came in the final over, a gentle chip over cover off Shreyanka Patil. Helmet off, arms aloft, the England all-rounder formed a ‘T’ with her hands – a nod to son Theodore Michael and, as she put it, to wife Katherine Sciver-Brunt. ‘Katherine is obviously watching – well, hopefully. She’s actually a really nervous watcher, so she’s probably not watching, but she wanted a “T” and she wanted me to get three figures, so here we go,’ she smiled. ‘I guess it’s my first T20 hundred, so I’m really happy to get over that milestone, and hopefully it’s not the last.’
Matthews’ 64 provided the early impetus, the West Indian driving anything full and slog-sweeping length. ‘Hayley will be so pleased to come back after a pretty long injury lay-off and get that kind of score. I really enjoy batting with her when I get the chance,’ Sciver-Brunt noted.
From a tactical point of view, Mumbai’s score was about ten above par on a ground where chasing hasn’t been straightforward once the early gloss goes off the ball. RCB’s bowling card showed the strain: only Renuka Singh’s opening spell (2-0-6-1) offered genuine control, while the spinners leaked 9.8 an over, unable to keep length varied for long enough.
Sciver-Brunt now returns to the top of the tournament’s run chart. The numbers matter, but so does the timing; with knockout spots on the line, Mumbai have a centurion in form and, perhaps just as importantly, a line drawn under that pesky 90-something narrative.
