Australian all-rounder Nicola Carey went berserk in FairBreak Invitational T20 tournament with an unbeaten 28-ball 84. The in-form 29-year-old batter tormented Tornadoes Women bowling lineup which included South African captain Sune Luus. The Spirit Women skipper made the run chase of 151 look like a walk in the park with her sensational hitting.
In the run chase of 151, Nicola walked out to bat in the 10th over after the wicket of Kerry Anne Tomlinson. Apart from Natthakan Chantham, Spirit Women top-order batters Sophia Dunkley and Bismah Maroof failed and registered single-digit scores.
The required run rate was climbing up but Carey brought it down in a matter of minutes. She started off with a six of Sita Rana Magar in the 10th over. In the 12th over, Aliya Riaz lost her wicket but it did not impact Carey's approach. She kept on hitting. In the 14th over, she decided to go big and smashed Luus for three consecutive sixes to reach her half-century from just 18 balls. Luus ended up conceding 49 runs from three overs she bowled.
In the 16th over, Zimbabwe's Mary-Anne Musonda erred too many times. She got hit for a four and a six by Carey. Then she bowled two consecutive no balls which were hit for boundaries by the in-form batter. Carey ended up scoring 18 runs off two legal deliveries. She ended the run chase with a boundary. Musonda conceded 24 runs from four legal deliveries as Spirit Women won the match by six wickets and 26 balls to spare.
Carey remained unbeaten for 84 off 28 deliveries including seven fours and as many sixes. She scored with a strike rate of 300. Had the target been bigger, Carey stood a chance to break the record for fastest hundred in women's T20 cricket.
Earlier, Carey was expensive with the ball. She took the wicket of South Africa's Dane van Neikerk but conceded 32 runs from her two overs. Skipper Stafanie Taylor's unbeaten 48-ball 61 helped Torandoes Women post 150/4 on the board.
After a comprehensive win, Spririt Women are second on the points table. They have won three out of four games with one more game to go before playoffs.
Ignored in WPL 2023
Carey had registered for Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2023 mega auction but was not picked by any franchise. Even when players got injured during the season, Carey was not considered as a replacement.
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