Nat Sciver-Brunt of Mumbai Indians eventually ended the WPL’s lengthy wait for a century, becoming the tournament’s first-ever centurion as she led MI to a dominant 199 for 4 against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday, January 26.
She came in early at 16 for 1 in the third over and steadied the innings before seizing complete control. She put together a match-defining 131-run partnership off 73 balls with opener Hayley Matthews, laying the groundwork for a large total. The attack continued with a quick 42-run stand with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur off only 25 balls, as Mumbai advanced dramatically in the final overs.
“Yeah, obviously I’d seen a few players get out in the 90s, so I didn’t want to replicate that. But I also wanted to get as many runs as possible for the team. I’m really pleased we could get up to that total, and personally really happy as well” said Sciver-Brunt after the innings.
She completed her first T20 ton in the penultimate over, gently chipping Shreyanka Patil over the infield before soaking up the occasion. Sciver-Brunt took off her helmet and responded to the deafening applause with her trademark ‘T’ celebration – for Theodore Michael, her son, as well as a nod to another special soul in the crowd; wife Katherine Sciver-Brunt.
“Just a little nod to home. 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. 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,” said Sciver-Brunt.
The all-rounder also said it’s always fun to bat with Hayley Matthews and she looks forward to more opportunities doing so. Sciver-Brunt’s stunning century also saw her reclaim the leading runscorer of the season.
“Yeah, absolutely. 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,” said Sciver-Brunt.
