The Hundred women’s competition, Utilita Bowl

Southern Brave 126-7 (100 balls): Wolvaardt 35 (30); Matthews 4-22

MI London 125-3 (100 balls): Wyatt-Hodge 52* (42); Wong 1-20

Southern Brave won by one run

Scorecard. Table

Lauren Bell held her nerve as Southern Brave won a last-ball thriller against MI London to maintain their 100% start to this year’s edition of The Hundred.

With eight runs required off the final five deliveries of the match, Bell kept her cool as MI fell one run short of Brave’s total of 126-7.

Danni Wyatt-Hodge had laid the foundation for MI’s chase with an unbeaten half-century, but with four needed off Bell’s final delivery she was unable to find a boundary.

Bell was mobbed by her Brave team-mates as they made it three wins from their opening three fixtures to remain top of the standings while winless MI were left to rue how they made such a hash of the chase.

Earlier, Maia Bouchier had given Brave’s innings some early impetus with a breezy 31 off 22 balls before she was caught slog-sweeping Hayley Matthews to deep mid-wicket.

South Africa batter Laura Wolvaardt then shared a 60-run stand for the third wicket with the more fluent Jemimah Rodrigues, who made 32 off 22 deliveries only to be snared by Matthews.

But Brave’s innings faded away towards the end in the face of some tight bowling from MI as Matthews finished with 4-22.

West Indies all-rounder Matthews then gave MI a solid platform in the chase, smacking four fours in her 32 off 28 deliveries only to miss a straight one from Issy Wong.

Wyatt-Hodge and MI skipper Holly Armitage looked to have things under control only for the latter to depart for 27 after feathering an edge off Sarah Glenn into the gloves of Lizelle Lee.

MI then struggled to find the middle of the bat as Wong and Sophie Molineux bowled tightly to ramp up the pressure further.

Victory still appeared within reach for MI when Bell stepped up to bowl the final set for Brave, but neither Wyatt-Hodge nor Nicola Carey could find the clean strike required to beat the fielders as they fell agonisingly short.