Nat Sciver-Brunt showed exactly why she captains England on Sunday, smashing an unbeaten 67 runs to lead Trent Rockets to a comfortable victory over MI London at The Oval in London.
The Rockets chased down MI London's total of 122 runs in just 82 balls, winning by nine wickets with 18 balls still to play. The emphatic win secured their spot in The Hundred knockout stage — the playoff rounds that decide who reaches the final.
Sciver-Brunt, who plays internationally for England, was sharp from the start. She hit nine fours and one six during her 36-ball innings, collecting her first fifty of this year's tournament. It was her 11th fifty in The Hundred overall, a competition the Rockets have been building toward all season.
She wasn't alone in making the chase look easy. Australian Beth Mooney, who kept wicket for the Rockets, supported Sciver-Brunt brilliantly with 54 runs not out off 44 balls. Together, the two women put on 118 runs for the second wicket — a tournament record for that position. Their partnership made the target feel small almost from the beginning.
Earlier, Samantha Bates, a 30-year-old Australian left-arm spinner, set up the victory by taking three wickets for just 13 runs. She had MI's dangerous batting star Hayley Matthews out early, then claimed two wickets in two balls to leave MI struggling at 49 for four wickets. Bates even thought she had a hat-trick when Alice Monaghan was given out lbw, but the decision was overturned on review after the ball appeared to slide down the leg side.
Monaghan and Chinelle Henry both finished unbeaten on 27, helping MI recover to a respectable 121 for five. But it wasn't enough against a Rockets side firing on all cylinders.
The win puts Trent Rockets four points ahead of second-placed Southern Brave, who still had a match to play that day. The two teams will face each other in the final group match — a game that could decide who goes straight to the final without needing to play an extra playoff. For the Rockets and their captain, the momentum is building at exactly the right time.