New Delhi, Jan 27 (IANS) Mumbai Indians all-rounder Hayley Matthews commended her teammate Nat Sciver-Brunt after the England captain became the first-ever cricketer to score a century in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), achieving the feat on Monday against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
The 131-run stand between Matthews and Sciver laid the platform for MI to finish with a strong total of 199. The Caribbean all-rounder arrived at this year’s WPL with the business end of the tournament approaching and is peaking at the right time.
MI delivered a commanding performance. In a crucial match, their senior players stepped up and performed when it mattered most. Sciver-Brunt set a new record with the first WPL century, while Matthews and Shabnim Ismail tore through the RCB top order, taking the first five wickets and securing a 15-run win.
RCB struggled early after an aggressive bowling spell, and the chase quickly fell apart in the powerplay as they lost half their team. Richa Ghosh, Nadine de Klerk, and Arundhati Reddy fought back, with the wicketkeeper-batter scoring 35 runs in the last two overs, but the target was too high to reach.
“It was definitely nice to watch from the other end when she was going four after four after four. I do love batting with her. We flow off each other really well. For her to get the hundred today was quite deserving. With all the innings she has played, not only this year but over the last four years. She has probably been the best batter in this tournament. In my opinion, quite fitting that she was able to get the first one,” Matthews said in the post-match press conference.
Matthews herself is finding form at a crucial stage of the tournament. Returning from injury and a period away from the game, the Caribbean all-rounder admitted the early part of the season tested her patience.
“Coming back from injury, being away from the game for a while, I really had to get back into things. In the first three games with the bat, I felt I was in a good place but wasn’t getting the results I wanted to. So yeah, it was just about keeping the confidence high, knowing that it will come eventually. Really happy to contribute with the bat today,” she said.
The understanding between Matthews and Sciver-Brunt at the crease was evident, with both players complementing each other’s strengths and matchups against the RCB bowling attack.
“I think we have a really good relationship at the crease. She flows really well and it helps me flow really well too. We are two really experienced players and I feel we certainly compliment each other at the crease really well. Some of the bowlers who aren’t my matchups are hers (to take down) and some of the bowlers that might be hers, I like to go after. We were able to have some really good conversations and think of exactly what we wanted to do and figure out best plans to maximize,” Matthews explained.
Mumbai’s approach in the powerplay was measured rather than explosive, shaped by their reading of the conditions at the venue.
“If you looked at the first few matches in this venue specifically, the first six to eight overs have been pretty hard to bat and the conditions have been a bit different,” Matthews said. “We knew if we gave ourselves a chance to get set and get settled early on, when the wicket gets better, we would be able to accelerate especially keeping wickets in hand with Harry (Harmanpreet Kaur) in the death overs.”
She added that avoiding early damage was a key priority. “We didn’t want another powerplay where we were two down and had them in really early. It gave me opportunities to get in and get settled with Nat. And then we were both able to get going at the same time.”
Once the platform was set, the pair shifted gears with clear intent. “For us, it is more about picking overs we want to go at, or picking areas where we want to score. Focussing a lot on what we can do basis the ball more than thinking about the score we need,” Matthews said. “Once we got to that ten-over mark with wickets in hand, we knew it would have been a great opportunity to push the run-rate up some more.”
With the ball, MI were just as ruthless. Matthews and Shabnim Ismail ripped through the RCB top order, reducing the chase to rubble inside the powerplay by taking the first five wickets. Although Richa Ghosh, Nadine de Klerk and Arundhati Reddy mounted a late counterattack — Ghosh scoring 35 runs across the final two overs — the target proved too steep.
In a high-stakes contest, Mumbai Indians’ experience and composure stood out. At the heart of it was a historic hundred from Sciver-Brunt, fittingly applauded by a teammate who believes no one was more deserving of the moment.
--IANS
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