Mooney On Fire
London Spirit may have lost England skipper Heather Knight to injury, but they haven’t lacked talismanic runs from an established international batter. Australian opener Beth Mooney tops the run scoring charts in the Women’s Hundred 2022, with 127 runs – and they’ve come at a very decent lick, striking at 127. The left-hander is a consistent, reliable presence at the top of the order for the Lord’s side, and is a sure bet to keep churning out runs in the coming weeks.
Mooney has been particularly prolific through the offside. Almost half of her runs have come through cover, reflecting her orthodox, solid technique matched with a white ball appropriate level of attacking intent – a key reason why Fantasy players can rely on her to maintain her current level of prolific run scoring.
Lauren Bell’s Luck
Southern Brave seamer Lauren Bell has struggled to recreate her success from the inaugural season in the Hundred, where she was one of the standout bowlers on show. This year, she’s managed just eight wickets, a way off the 17 in eight matches she managed last season. However, despite the headline figures, Bell has been extremely unlucky. She’s found the edge of the bat six times, the most of any bowler in the competition, indicating that while she’s not getting the material returns on the scorecard, she’s still threatening batters with her bowling. Expect her record to improve in the coming matches, and with it the chance to get value from selecting her in your XIs.
Beaumont’s Battle
Tammy Beaumont is one of the most high-profile players in the Hundred, a World Cup winner with England and one of the most sought-after talents in the global game. However, her performance in Manchester on Tuesday night didn’t reach the highs normally expected from a player of her quality. 45 runs in 41 balls, in pursuit of a large target, wasn’t the innings Fantasy managers would have hoped for when selecting the Welsh Fire star.
If Beaumont is to bring her quality to bear on this tournament, she’ll need to score quicker – but in the meantime, she still remains an excellent option in Fantasy. With the responsibility of scoring squarely on her shoulders, the England batter is placing a premium on her wicket, and is scoring heavily as a consequence, which in the world of Fantasy cricket is the primary aim.
Hartley’s New Ball Threat
Swing is often the primary threat at the start of white ball innings, but in the Hundred so far spin has had a significant role to play. Alex Hartley, the slow left arm spinner for Welsh Fire, is one of only two players to take multiple Powerplay wickets in the 2020 Women’s Hundred, alongside Kathryn Bryce. With many opening batters used to playing pace at the top of the innings, and excelling when doing so, mixing it up with spin is a valuable move – Hartley is as good as any at the competition in this role, and is a canny option among other big names.
