August 10, 2024

Nat Sciver-Brunt (again) Keeps Trent Rockets in Top 3 Hunt

Alexa Stonehouse shone with the ball, adding to the woes of defending champions Southern Brave. A masterful batting display from Nat Sciver-Brunt, combined with Stonehouse’s early breakthroughs, kept Trent Rockets’ hopes alive in this year’s Hundred competition.

Sciver-Brunt led from the front with an unbeaten 60 off 37 balls, her seventh fifty in the Hundred, propelling the Rockets to a strong total of 155 for 7. This innings also saw her surpass Danni Wyatt as the tournament’s all-time leading female run-scorer, amassing 933 runs and closing in on the 1000-run milestone. Grace Scrivens assisted with 36 off 24 balls, while Ash Gardner and Heather Graham added useful contributions. Southern Brave’s Lauren Bell was the standout bowler, taking three wickets in her final set of five to limit the Rockets’ score.

In their chase, the Brave were dealt early blows by Stonehouse, who removed both Wyatt and Maia Bouchier within the first five balls. Bouchier fell to a superb inswinger that breached her defenses. Georgie Adams managed a fighting 27 before being run out by a brilliant throw from Katie George, and Smriti Mandhana’s stylish 42 off 27 balls provided some hope. However, Mandhana’s dismissal at 82 for 4 after 69 balls left the Brave struggling.

Chloe Tryon’s late power-hitting, including a massive six into the groundstaff’s shed, offered a brief glimmer of an upset, but the Rockets held firm to secure a 24-run victory.

MeerKat Match Hero Nat Sciver-Brunt acknowledged it was a team effort with contributions all the way through: “Their batters put us under the pump and made us go through a few plans with the ball but we found the right one in the end, and we held our nerve with our skill.

“I had a good partnership with Grace Scrivens, we’d highlighted the need for that after the first few games so we were really pleased with how it went today.

“After the first four games we felt pretty down – three close games and not coming out on the right side of it, so it takes some getting up for the next game, but we’ve come back really strongly and with two games to go who knows what can happen.”

Zampa: “Test Cricket Remains Realistic for Me”

Adam Zampa remains hopeful of playing Test cricket, even though he has had limited opportunities in recent years. Despite his heavy white-ball schedule, which has seen him play just two first-class games since 2019, Zampa is confident his skills would hold up in Tests.

He was disappointed to miss out on last year’s Test tour of India after being initially considered for selection, with the spot eventually going to Queensland’s Mitchell Swepson. Since returning to New South Wales in 2020 after seven years with South Australia, Zampa has played only six first-class matches, with none since 2017. He is optimistic about potentially getting an opportunity in October.

“I think, realistically, [I’m] still a chance to play Test cricket,” he told the Final Word podcast. “If I was playing a lot of Shield cricket right now with the way I’m bowling, the bowler I am, think I’d be fine, I’d be doing really well. The few games I have played in the last couple of years are suggestive of that.”

While it’s uncommon for Australia to pick two spinners for home Tests, they have a two-Test series in Sri Lanka early next year where they plan to use various spin options alongside Nathan Lyon. This summer, there could be a rare opportunity for Adam Zampa to play some Sheffield Shield cricket, especially around Pakistan’s visit in November for ODIs and T20Is.

However, selectors have previously noted that Sheffield Shield performances are not the sole factor for selecting players for tours in the subcontinent. Glenn Maxwell is also being considered for the Sri Lanka series. Despite having a high first-class average of 46.98, Zampa is confident that his game can adapt to the demands of international cricket.

“Even if I do get picked in the upcoming subcontinent tours, people will say, well his record is averaging 46 with the ball, it’s not good enough, people will say that I’m sure, but if I do get picked I’ll know that the way I feel like I’m bowling, it’ll be fine,” he said.

Regardless of whether Adam Zampa’s future includes Test cricket, he has made it clear that representing Australia is his top priority, especially after the success of the 2023 ODI World Cup. This year, he chose to withdraw from the IPL and MLC and signed a two-year central contract with Cricket Australia.

Currently, Zampa is playing in the Hundred for Oval Invincibles, where he is one of the tournament’s leading wicket-takers. He mentioned that playing in the Hundred fits well with his schedule, as Australia is touring the UK in September. However, he prefers not to spend long periods away from home, focusing mainly on international cricket.

“I was lucky to…be part of a winning World Cup team,” he said. “Looking forward, the franchise thing isn’t for me. I want to keep playing for Australia as long as I can, the feeling of success in that team is something I want more of. I’m lucky enough to have signed a two-year contract with Australia and it’s on the basis of wanting to play every game for Australia. It meant I had to make some decisions around franchise cricket.”

Adam Zampa, the only Australian men’s bowler with over 100 T20I wickets, will next play for Australia in three T20Is against Scotland early next month. After that, he will compete in three more T20Is against England, followed by five ODIs.