Women’s Super Smash 2023-24: Top run-getters and wicket-takers after Otago Sparks vs Auckland Hearts ft. Maddy Green and Caitlin Blakely
Auckland Hearts registered their second win in the Women’s Super-Smash 2023-24 on Sunday after beating Otago Sparks by nine runs in Auckland. The Auckland Hearts batted first and posted a respectable score of 146 runs on the board.
Both the openers departed on single-digit scores but skipper Maddy Green led the way with the bat. She played a match-winning knock of 77 runs in 56 balls, including 10 fours. Prue Catton gave her valuable support from the other end, scoring 39 runs in 40 balls. All the other batters departed on single-digit scores.
In pursuit of the target, Otago Sparks lost Bella James (0) in the very first over, while the likes of Suzie Bates (18) and Felicity Leydon-David (18) got starts but couldn’t convert those into big scores.
Caitlin Blakely notched an unbeaten half-century and stayed right till the end, however, she found little support from the other end. Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals as Otago Sparks were restricted to just 137 runs in the second innings.
As for Auckland Hearts, Fran Jonas returned with three wickets for 23 runs in four overs, while Bree Illing also returned with stellar figures of two for 23 in four overs.
Women’s Super-Smash 2023-24 Most Runs List
Otago Sparks opener Suzie Bates is ruling the run-scoring charts with 346 runs in eight matches, followed by Amelia Kerr (281) in second position. Maddy Green’s match-winning 77-run knock has helped her jump to the third position with 242 runs to her name.
At number four is Hollie Armitage, who has managed to score 177 runs in six matches at an average of 29.50. KG Anderson finds herself at number five, having scored 177 runs in seven games, while FL Mackay (172) slips down to the sixth spot.
With 167 runs in seven matches to her name, Georgia Plimmer is sitting at seventh spot, while Hannah Rowe is at number eight. She has managed to score 146 runs this season in six games. The ninth and tenth positions are, currently, occupied by Bella James (134) and Prue Catton (131), respectively.
Women’s Super-Smash 2023-24 Most Wickets List
Amelia Kerr stays at the top of the wickets tally with 16 wickets in seven matches. Skye Bowden finds herself in the second spot, while Leigh Kasperek is at number three. Both have 10 wickets each to their name so far this season. The fifth spot is occupied by Xara Jetly, who has nine wickets in seven matches.
At number six is Emma Black with nine wickets in eight games, followed by Poppy Jay Watkins (8) and Gabby Sullivan (8) in seventh and eighth position, respectively. Eden Carson picked up a wicket against Otago on Sunday and that took her to number nine on the table with eight wickets this season.
Fran Jonas produced a sensational spell of three for 23 in four overs against Otago. She has now moved to the 10th spot with seven wickets in five matches.