After a lackluster first match, India T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur struck form with an unbeaten fifty for Lancashire Thunder but it wasn’t enough as defending champions Surrey Stars made it two wins in two matches in the 2019 Women’s Cricket Super League on Thursday.
The South African players came to the party in the strong eight-wicket win for Surrey Stars. Leg-spinner Dane van Niekerk took 3/20 to restrict Thunder to 120/7 before Lizelle Lee helped chase the target down with eight wickets and 34 balls to spare.
Harmanpreet, the top-scorer with 58 not out, was the sole bright spot for Thunder as she scored almost half of the team’s runs. Georgie Boyce and Emma Lamb had the second highest scores of 12.
In response, opener Lee smashed 66 off 45 balls with seven fours and three sixes. Her partner Bryony Smith was dismissed early but she built a century partnership with Sarah Taylor (36) to guide the team to an easy win.
In the other match, Southern Vipers beat Loughborough Lightning by two wickets. Chasing a target of 136 to win, Dani Wyatt hit 40 while West Indies’ Stephanie Taylor scored 38 to set up a strong platform for the team.