India’s Jemimah Rodrigues scored the fastest century in the Women’s Super League (England’s T20 tournament) to take Yorkshire Diamonds to a thrilling last-ball win on Sunday.
The 18-year-old smashed an unbeaten 112 off 58 balls in a chase of 185 to help her team beat Southern Vipers by four wickets. She reached the three-figure mark in 51 balls, breaking Lizelle Lee’s record for the fastest ton (55 balls).
Rodrigues’s knock had seventeen fours and one six and is the highest score by an Indian woman in any overseas T20 league, surpassing Smriti Mandhana who had scored a century in last year’s Super League.
Big-hitters Danielle Wyatt, Suzie Bates and Tammy Beaumont helped the Vipers get to 184/4 in 20 overs and the Diamonds’ chase was off to a slow start after openers Lauren Winfield and Alyssa Healy got out early.
But a 90-run stand between Rodrigues and Hollie Armitag (23) helped stabilise the innings. With 10 runs needed off the final over – bowled by death-bowling expert Suzie Bates – Rodrigues tied the scores, scoring nine of those runs, before Linsey Smith took a single to give the team just their fourth win.
However, the victory won’t keep their hopes of reaching the final alive with the Vipers already through.
In the second match of the day, England’s Amy Ellen Jones and Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu took Loughborough Lightning to an eight-wicket win against Lancashire Thunder.
Thunder were dismissed for 122 with Sarah Glenn and Jenny Gunn taking three wickets each. India captain Harmanpreet Kaur was bowled for a duck by Glenn.
Meanwhile table-toppers Western Storm continued their unbeaten run in the ninth match as well, beating Surrey Stars by a huge margin of 77 runs.
Storm lost Smriti Mandhana for two but Rachel Priest and Heather Knight scored fifties to take the team to 171/4. The Stars were dismissed for 94 with India’s Deepti Sharma taking 1/9 in three overs.