Brave’s local core have stepped up after big-name departures – but can they finally win the trophy?
Vithushan Ehantharajah26-Aug-2023Since the Hundred began in 2021, Southern Brave have been a constant presence in the women’s final. This Sunday, they will be hoping it is third time lucky.A 48-run blowout in 2021 was followed by an equally chastening loss by five wickets with six balls to spare in 2022.Both came at the hands of Oval Invincibles – and specifically, their South African allrounder Marizanne Kapp, who was player of the match on both occasions. This time, however, the defending champions are nowhere to be seen, knocked out in the group stages by – yep, you’ve guessed it – Brave.It was a victory head coach Charlotte Edwards believes was cathartic for a core who had been on the wrong end of an all-too-familiar nemesis. And though they await a new final boss at Lord’s on Sunday after beating Manchester Originals on Wednesday to assume the number one spot outright, they won’t be planning any differently.”We’re not going to do anything differently,” Edwards tells ESPNcricinfo, “and we’re not going to talk about it. Because I don’t think we need to.”The girls know what’s at stake. And if we don’t win, it’s been unbelievable because in a tournament like this, winning as many games as we have… The players play the game, I don’t. I think they deserve to win a trophy, they massively do when you look at our record for the last three years. But that doesn’t mean anything on Finals Day. We just hope we turn up.”Marizanne Kapp has been Southern Brave’s nemesis in Hundred finals•Getty ImagesThat record Edwards speaks of is an impressive 20 wins out of 25. They have only ever lost one group stage game in each of their three campaigns, with 2023’s coming against Welsh Fire in their second match.Despite their undoubted pedigree, Brave came into this season with a degree of trepidation. They were rocked by the March’s draft, losing dynamic England batter Sophia Dunkley to Welsh Fire and Australian legspinner Amanda-Jade Wellington to Manchester Originals: 437 runs at 36.51 across 16 innings and last year’s leading wicket-taker with 17, respectively.”We were probably hit quite badly in the draft in terms of some of our main players being taken away,” reflects Edwards. “If you’d have told me straight after the draft that we’d be in the final leading the group, I would have been quite surprised. You never know how a new group are going to knit together, but I’ve just been so impressed by how the players have just stood up into different roles.”Those players are homegrown staples of Edwards’ domestic team, Southern Vipers. Maia Bouchier’s 264 runs – the second-most in the competition – has compensated for Dunkley’s absence, while the unlikely offspin of Georgia Adams has replaced Wellington in the XI and at the top of the Hundred’s wicket-taking charts with 16 dismissals.Maia Bouchier is Brave’s top run-scorer this season•Getty ImagesBouchier’s emergence as a top-order batter has been recognised by England, who will use her as an opener for the upcoming limited-overs matches against Sri Lanka. This Hundred, she boasts a strike rate of 138.21 and has strung together a number of key innings, including a standout unbeaten 63 to chase a target of 105 against London Spirit in an 85-ball affair at Lord’s. Her 47 not out took Brave over the line against Originals.None of this is a coincidence in the eyes of Edwards, who had firm belief in Bouchier’s potential against the new ball: “We had a conversation at the start of the season and I said, ‘look, I think you can open the batting for England.’ So she opened the batting for Vipers at 50-over and T20.”I couldn’t get her in here [for Brave] opening, because Smiriti Mandhana and Danni Wyatt have been so good. But I said to her, ‘you’re going to be No. 3 and are going to have a massive platform to show everyone what you can do.'”I genuinely believe at the moment she is the most rounded player in that top order. She can hit straight down the ground; she’s got lots of options; she’s technically very, very good. And there’s no surprise England have said we want to open with her in the series coming up against Sri Lanka.”
“It’s such a massive tournament for women’s cricket. And I think it’s been another brilliant year and it would be a mistake if it was taken away.”Charlotte Edwards on the Hundred’s future
As for Adams, who has also pitched in with 109 runs in the middle order, her bowling has exceeded expectation. “I think quite surprised,” jokes Edwards. “I think what teams have done in the past is probably underestimate her. I don’t think they have now. But she’s been pivotal.”I signed her last year thinking she’d be our sixth bowler. Now she’s a guaranteed new-ball bowler. Her strike rate is brilliant and the economy is great. She’s been unbelievable – and at No. 4 as well, she’s played some crucial knocks.”Remarkably, Brave have only used 12 players so far. They might have only needed 11 had Lauren Bell not been rested for the first two matches to manage her workloads off the back of the Women’s Ashes.18-year-old Mary Taylor filled in more than capably, taking 3 for 18 against Trent Rockets on her Brave debut. At the other end of the career spectrum, Anya Shrubsole, who will retire after Sunday’s final, has been ever-present as captain.Anya Shrubsole will sign off from professional cricket at Lord’s on Sunday•ECB/Getty ImagesMissing Saturday’s Eliminator at the Oval, which will be played out between Northern Superchargers and Welsh Fire, ensures Shrubsole’s continued presence in the XI. “We didn’t want to play the Eliminator for Anya, because we didn’t think two days back-to-back would be good,” explains Edwards. “So she will be raring and ready come Sunday.”Picking from a small pool has been the Edwards way throughout her coaching career. Most recently, in the inaugural Women’s Premier League, she relied on 12 to guide Mumbai Indians to the title.”If you look at a lot of the teams I’ve been involved in, there’s not been much movement. I’ve tried to stick with players. A lot of people were saying about Freya Kemp only scoring a few runs – we all had the belief in her that she was going to go out there and do something magnificent.” It came in that victory against Invincibles, when she hit a vital 41* off 21 balls.”I made a conscious effort this year of actually putting some real youngsters on the sidelines. We’ve got some of the Under-19 World Cup finalists. I wanted to look at the future a little bit. I think the worst thing you can do is have on your bench people who think they should be playing. And I think I’ve had that in previous years. So I’ve tried to blood a new group of players coming through.”Related
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As the final weekend approaches on what has been the Hundred’s best season across the men’s and women’s codes, based on attendances, merchandise sales, digital engagement and, crucially, on-field quality, speculation about its future rages on.In Edwards’ opinion – one which carries weight as one of England’s greatest batters, captains and, now, coaches – any changes to the competition, especially getting rid of it outright, would be “a massive mistake”.”If anyone has been to any Southern Brave home games, every game we’ve had 10,000 people there. We’ve got massive support down there, the players love it, I love it. It’s such a massive tournament for women’s cricket. And I think it’s been another brilliant year and it would be a mistake if it was taken away.”The eight regions are driving the women’s and girls’ game now and I think it’s proved in the last three years how much improvement we’ve seen with the youngsters coming through. We were on the verge of beating Australia, which hasn’t happened for a while.”It’s working. We’ve got to stick with it and hopefully everyone will invest in the women’s game, from counties to regions. This is a massive platform for these girls and it prepares them for international cricket I believe.”